Friday, July 4, 2014

Feeding the president a bite of apple.

At this very moment, Australian artist Cigdem Aydemir is busy to vacuum pack the Pres Steyn monument on the Bloemfontein Campus’s Red Plain – in pink. Aydemir’s project, ‘Plastic Histories’, forms part of a public art project that encourages us to evaluate public monuments in their historical context.

Aydemir is physically vacuum packing the monuments of President Steyn and President CR Swart on the Bloemfontein Campus in pink plastic. By vacuum packing monuments, Aydemir alludes to their significance and preservation. At the same time, though, it reveals the nature of their contentious and gendered historical function. This is because most monuments in post-colonial countries typically celebrate men’s achievements in serving their nations.

In response, this project acknowledges the contribution of women from all races, communities and sexual orientations to the grand narrative of a post-apartheid South Africa.

Plastic Histories #PinkPresidents 

Live streaming of the process 
Video clip