Poetry of Decay
All we find are altars in decay
And profane words scrawled black across the sun.
Still, stubbornly we try to crack the nut
In which the riddle of our race is shut.
Doom of Exiles - Sylvia Plath (1981: 318)
And profane words scrawled black across the sun.
Still, stubbornly we try to crack the nut
In which the riddle of our race is shut.
Doom of Exiles - Sylvia Plath (1981: 318)
A fascination with the dystopian1 literary genre sparked my interest and served as inspiration for the Body of Work titled Poetry2 of Decay (2015-2018).
As I explored contemporary South African dystopian novels (Beukes 2008, 2010) and films (Blomkamp 2009, 2015), I watched as current events mimicked fiction (Munusamy 2016). This resulted in a growing awareness of the changing social climate reflecting a spirit of discontent, which in turn affirmed my belief that dystopia was a growing global phenomenon not only limited to the Hollywood cliché (which it had grown to become during the past decade) but also a dynamic metaphor for the changing social reality. With the realisation that the dystopian concept is relevant and speaks accurately to the far-reaching implications within the posthuman condition3. Its impact on contemporary society effectively renders it a state of mind.
As I explored contemporary South African dystopian novels (Beukes 2008, 2010) and films (Blomkamp 2009, 2015), I watched as current events mimicked fiction (Munusamy 2016). This resulted in a growing awareness of the changing social climate reflecting a spirit of discontent, which in turn affirmed my belief that dystopia was a growing global phenomenon not only limited to the Hollywood cliché (which it had grown to become during the past decade) but also a dynamic metaphor for the changing social reality. With the realisation that the dystopian concept is relevant and speaks accurately to the far-reaching implications within the posthuman condition3. Its impact on contemporary society effectively renders it a state of mind.
“[The critical dystopia] anticipates a horizon of hope […] showing the reader a road that must start in the present, a dialectic that must begin from now-here […] provide us with the idea that ours is a journey which needs to be constantly re-planned, and which will never hopefully reach an end.” (Fortunati in Viera 2013:4)
By looking critically at the human condition, effectively starting from the “now-here”, I realised that humanity is standing at a precipice. That which is called for is a critical re-examination of the way in which we treat not only each other, but all nonhuman ‘others’ and the natural environment. Following from this viewpoint, I identified three key concepts as characteristics of a critical dystopian society. These themes: decay, identity and avarice were investigated as they appear metaphorically in the narratives of Lauren Beukes and Neill Blomkamp.
Utopian Feminist, Vita Fortunati’s statement that the critical dystopia “anticipates a horizon of hope” (in Viera 2013:4) led to the realization that the prevailing spirit of discontent is emblematic of the perception that the Rainbow Nation4 is a failed utopia. The resulting feeling was the collective disillusionment of my generation.
My function as an artist is to reflect my environment and its social climate by capturing the dystopian phenomena through painting the changing social reality. By tracing the characteristics of dystopia and its implications on contemporary South African society, the dystopian phenomenon is established as a zeitgeist.
Utopian Feminist, Vita Fortunati’s statement that the critical dystopia “anticipates a horizon of hope” (in Viera 2013:4) led to the realization that the prevailing spirit of discontent is emblematic of the perception that the Rainbow Nation4 is a failed utopia. The resulting feeling was the collective disillusionment of my generation.
My function as an artist is to reflect my environment and its social climate by capturing the dystopian phenomena through painting the changing social reality. By tracing the characteristics of dystopia and its implications on contemporary South African society, the dystopian phenomenon is established as a zeitgeist.
Examiner's Review on Poetry of Decay:
1 Dystopia: from the Greek, translates to anti-utopia or not a good place(Simpson 2018: sp).
2 Poēsis (Poetry): The process of making; production, creation; creativity, culture. (Simpson, J. 2018: [sp])
3 Posthuman condition: Robert Pepperell (2003:168-169) argues that the posthuman condition is steeped in uncertainty, and that this is not to be feared. Therefore, the posthuman age is characterised by a general sense of uncertainty and overwhelming sense of loss of control by the liberal humanist subject.
4 Rainbow Nation is a term (coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu) to describe the multi-racial and multi-cultural society of post-apartheid South Africa after its first fully democratic election in 1994 (Manzo 1996:71).
2 Poēsis (Poetry): The process of making; production, creation; creativity, culture. (Simpson, J. 2018: [sp])
3 Posthuman condition: Robert Pepperell (2003:168-169) argues that the posthuman condition is steeped in uncertainty, and that this is not to be feared. Therefore, the posthuman age is characterised by a general sense of uncertainty and overwhelming sense of loss of control by the liberal humanist subject.
4 Rainbow Nation is a term (coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu) to describe the multi-racial and multi-cultural society of post-apartheid South Africa after its first fully democratic election in 1994 (Manzo 1996:71).
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