Allen-Spies, J.Human, E. S.De Beer, Carolina Davidina2018-01-192018-01-192007-12http://hdl.handle.net/11660/7635English: This dissertation is closely related to my studio research, the product of which is an installation in the Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery. The focus of my research is the ruptures that occur in the continuity of family memories. Seeing that my grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, the preservation of private memories is extremely important to me. According to postmodern thought, history is not regarded as a single, uninterrupted timeline. Different versions or narratives are equally important in the compilation of history. Micro-histories and private experiences become meaningful to history and so is the preservation of these common documents in archives. Thus the apparent divide between private and public history is blurred. As a result of South Africa’s difficult political history and the particular part played by the Afrikaners, the experience of memory is complicated. “Remembering” and “forgetting” are eminent in the relationship with history – the wilful forgetting of incidents in the past, as well as the “excessive remembering” thereof (Ricoeur 2004: 452 – 453). Afrikaners are not allowed to forget certain past political events. The internalisation of the past is an attempt to suppress it, so that it may only be experienced in the public sphere of history. This suppression can, however, still be observed beneath the surface of private histories, as well as in art works that seem to focus solely on private experiences. The different art media that are investigated in this research (i.e. painting, photography, gum prints, artists books, wax casts and installation art) address aspects of the preservation of memory that deal with estrangement, anonymity, absence and mortality. The interplay between light and dark, exposure and concealment, are metaphors used to examine the discontinuities in history and memory in the private and public spheres. The structure of this paper is presented in various layers: layers of history, art history, private history, and art media. A group of art works have been carefully selected to further the argument and visually realise the mutual interplay of nuances. Each chapter focuses on a specific art medium that is used in the Nagedagtenis installation, as well as on questions concerning history, art history and private history.Afrikaans: Hierdie verhandeling staan in noue verband met my ateljeenavorsing waarvan die produk ‘n installasie in die Johannes Stegmann-kunsgalery is. Die fokus van my navorsing is breuke in die kontinuïteit van familieherinneringe. As ‘n kleinkind met ‘n ouma wat aan Alzheimer se siekte gely het, is die preservering van privaatherinneringe vir my noodsaaklik. In postmoderne beskouings word geskiedenis nie as een aaneenlopende tydlyn beskou nie en die verskillende weergawes of verhale waaruit geskiedenis bestaan, word ewe belangrik geag. Mikrogeskiedenisse en private verhale word betekenisvol vir die geskiedenis en daarmee saam die preservering van alledaagse dokumente in argiewe. Daardeur word die skynbare grens tussen die private en publieke geskiedenis vervaag. Vanweë Suid-Afrika se ingewikkelde politieke geskiedenis en Afrikaners se besondere deelname daaraan, is herinnering tans vir Afrikaners kompleks. “Vergeet”, sowel as “onthou” is deel van die verhouding met die geskiedenis – die willekeurige vergeet van gebeure in die verlede, sowel as die “oor-onthou” (Ricoeur 2004: 452 – 453). Afrikaners word nie toegelaat om sekere politieke gebeure in die verlede te vergeet nie. Die internalisering van die verlede is ‘n poging om die verlede te onderdruk, sodat dit skynbaar slegs in die publieke sfeer van die geskiedenis ervaar kan word. Hierdie onderdrukking kan egter onder die oppervlak van die privaatgeskiedenis opgetel word, en ook in kunswerke in verskillende media wat skynbaar hoofsaaklik op private ervarings fokus. In die verhandeling word aspekte van die preservering van herinnering, soos vervreemding, anonimiteit, afwesigheid en mortaliteit nader ondersoek soos dit in verskeie kunsmedia (die skilderkuns, die fotografie, gomdrukke, kunstenaarsboeke, afgietsels en die installasiekuns) na vore tree. Die spel tussen lig en donker, ontbloting en versluiering, is metafore waardeur die versteking van geheime en die diskontinuïteite in geskiedenis en herinnering in die private en publieke sfere ondersoek word. Die struktuur van die verhandeling bestaan uit verskillende lae: lae van geskiedenis, kunsgeskiedenis, privaatgeskiedenis en van verskillende kunsmedia. Die argument van die verhandeling word deur middel van ‘n versigtig geselekteerde groep kunswerke gevoer en visueel vergestalt in die onderlinge samespel van nuanses. Elke hoofstuk fokus op ‘n spesifieke kunsmedium wat in die Nagedagtenis-installasie gebruik is, sowel as vrae rondom aspekte van geskiedenis, kunsgeskiedenis en privaatgeskiedenis.afMemoryPrivate historyFamily historyPainted portraitsPhotographyCastsGum printsInstallation artArtists' booksMemory in artAutobiographical memory in artCollective memory in artFamilies in artDissertation (M.A. (Fine Arts))--University of the Free State, 2007DissertationUniversity of the Free State