Introduction

So many stories throughout the ages have begun with "Once upon a time…” and “kwathi kwathi ngantsomi…” Be it through spoken word, words arranged on paper or images are drawn on walls or canvas; narratives have been the cornerstone which has upheld mankind (Mika Hannula, n.d.). The past and present can never be forgotten when their spirits are forever captured and shared. This is what narrative does; it connects and shares a conversation (Cohn, 2012).

This connective ability of narratives works is one of the aspects which appeals to me with regards to narrative arrangements; the shared experience which transcends time, space and even language fences (Barthes, 1977). I have found this to be a constant truth when it comes to the arts. As the arts possess the unique ability to attain with craftsmanship and verses what one may at times find testing to articulate.

It has been through the aid narrative works that the soul of several testing ideas begin to take form through many practices such as an opera or ballet performance, to the humblest of crafts such as the street black and white mime, through dance and music, through paintings and sculpture; as well as through poetry and jewellery these find a reality (Vroegh, 2009; Inyabri, 2013, p. 65). These ideas trigger a conversation, which I found to be beautifully composed in the following quote which provides a summation of what every good narrative should both provide and possess.

“The stories will vary, not only with the intention of the artist but also our, the wearer and viewers ability to decode the image.” (A.Game, 2005)

Hence the core aim of this research paper is to explore how a bridal/ umakoti narrative may be created using the interart mediums of jewellery and poetry. The secondary aim of the report will be to articulate the abusive practices which form part of the umakoti/ bridal story as a theoretical background for the narratives. This research paper will, therefore, be exploring the umakoti/ bridal theme by expressing the fairytales versus the harsh reality millions of women face (Modisaotsile, 2013) (Bacchiocchi, n.d.) 

This research report will, therefore, attempt to capture these narratives in a way that the jewellery and poetry will be reflective of each other, as they will be both expressing one specific aspect of the bridal/umakoti narrative. This report will then record bridal narratives using contemporary jewellery with the aid of poetry, so as to formulate it's very own “Once upon a time...”

This research report is organized into 3 chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the research as well as a contextualization of the physical setting in which the research was focused and in which data was gathered. This chapter also highlighted the main relevant keywords which will be used within this research paper.