The caged bird series

1. The angle I have chosen to tackle my report from is through using two mediums in order to express one idea, these mediums being poetry and jewellery.  The Jewellery piece in figure 1 was one of the developments of this series, where I was still discovering how to express the idea of being caged verses negative space.

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2019). Caged bird bugle and tube beaded neckpiece

Since this was one of the initial concepts that I had worked with, I have listed the three major topics I have chosen to discuss this particular series under.
1.The Poem
a. Written
b. Spoken word

2.The Explorations
The list below are the initial ideas fro my cage bird deisgn, I have palced them in their order of development
a. Cage bird concept 1
b.Cage bird concept 2
c. Cage bird concept 3
d.Cage bird concept 4

3. The Jewellery

Caged bird formation

The bridal practice of ukuthwala (bridal abduction), has formed part of many South African native cultural groups, and has still remained as a cultural marriage practice in several places within the Eastern Cape. As the Eastern Cape is predominately a Xhosa populated part of the country, I will be exploring this practice through the Xhosa culture.
Although the practice of bridal abduction is a worldwide issue, it is however believed that the practice of ukuthwala in South Africa originated with the Xhosa people. (Mwambene & Sloth-nielsen, 2011) Initially the practice came about in cases when the either the girl’s family or both families, would be against a marriage or would not come into agreement with labola, and then the couple would stage this abduction, in order to force their  families to allow the marriage to take place.

Although not inherently a form of an abusive abduction, it has mutated into a form of marriage which results in abuse, violence and in many unfortunate cases resulted in rape. Traditionally the practice may be conducted in one of two ways, there are cases where the girl’s family has consented to the marriage and the abduction of their daughter. In this case, the two families have met without consulting the girl in question and have even concluded with the labola negotiations in most of these cases. Then the two families for whatever the reasons may be agree to a specific date on which this abduction would take place. (Modisaotsile, 2013)

While the other painful case, which has become illegal, is where the man’s family are in agreement and have not met with either the young girl nor her family and simply decide to ambush her at their earliest convenience, to then inform the girl’s family once they have kidnapped her of what they have done.

 No matter what the circumstance is, when the girl is unaware of this sort of marriage, it may be traumatic for her, as she is taken against her will and then forced to become a wife to someone she may not even know, and at times a man who is 15 to 40 years her senior

Caged bird moments

The Caged bird Poem

For this poem I had decided to start it off as a reflective moment, hence the question 'how am I to fly on broken wings? ' This was meant to imply moment of 'what now?'
The idea behind being broken, it is meant to express how she may feel that her worth has somehow depreciated, due to how society views broken things as having no value or as being of a lesser value. The repetition of those words was also meant as a way of emphasising that she may no longer feel as those she can function to het fullest or original capacity, hence being unable to fly.
The next aspect revealed is the fact that the act of breaking her was deliberate. This is sometimes the case when it comes to forced marriages or marriages which as a product of ukutwala, they may try by either emotional or physical means to cause the girl/woman to feel as though her worth has already depreciated, so that she won't try to leave. This is done through rape, physically beating the women, emotionally threatening her of the fact that if she left she will be viewed as an outcast.

After hearing these stories, I had decided to write the poem from the perspective og a young girl, who feel broken both in terms of worth and wothin her soul, therefore no longer being able to view both her life and life as before. She is hence caged by the husband, her own brokenness and by the community. Hence the poem speaks not just of a cage, but her broken wing. 

The Jewellery

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2019). Caged Bird Ring Top View

The above picture is a beaded version for the caged bird series which I made during the June holidays.

Figure 2: Ndongeni, S (2018). Caged bird Retro Earrings.

When it came to expressing the caged bird concept through narrative jewellery; I had decided to mostly work with bugle beads, as they hint the idea of prison bars. Hence giving off the idea that the bird has in itself become its own prison. With most of the pieces in this series have been designed in a way that highlights the negative spaces, as seen in the above picture with the earrings. This was meant to imply that although one may be see life and exist within it, they can still be restricted from being part of it. These negative spaces also help create the idea of the emptiness in whom she has become.

Figure 3: Ndongeni, S (2019). Caged bird neckpiece. 



Development

I had been trying to figure out how I could redesign the piece seen in the picture on the left and I decided to try to use a wire frame as a border which I could use to strengthen the bird form, as seen in the picture on the left.

I still have yet to improve on the idea as I develop it further, but i do like where it is so far.

It's a bird thing

bird narrative in pictures

During the week I had been playing around with the ides of creating a simplified concept of the caged bird narrative. So I thought about the idea of having a 3 piece set which would depict this narrative. The set would comprise of a bird flying, a bird either about to land showing onw wing or a grounded bird, and finally the last bird would be caged. I started off with getting some references of birds over the internet , this is when I came across a picture of a caged women, which in turn gave me the idea that maybe I could create a anti-climax in my narrative if the third piece in the set was in stead a picture of a caged little girl rather than a caged bird.

I just felt that this would speak volumes and give the final punch to the message. I have included some pictured of the rough piercing ideas I was still working around with. 

caged girl working ideas

Rose by any other name

My next design concept was yet another poem which I was busy writing about a wife. The general idea around the poem is that like a rose would always remain a rose even if it were to have another name, a slave would also remain just that even if you have chosen to instead call her umakoti/ wife. This is my way of conversing on the sometimes abusive and destructive practices young wives are forced to suffer all in the guise of it being a right of passage or part of the native African cultures.

Figure 2: Ndongeni, S (2016). Rose set.

As I began to both writing the poem and designing of the piece of rose chain, I became to remember that in 2016 I had had a similar concept in mind. At the time I had not decided to go the narrative route but to use roses as they are one of the flowers widely associated with love and weddings, I had in fact entitled one of my blogposts with the title: ‘a rose by any other name’. This had been an intentional play on words for both my poem and my item of jewellery as that is a title of a title of a poem based on a lie said by none other than Juliet from the famous story “Romeo and Juliet.  She was trying to give forth the idea that just because the man she happened to have love was the son from a family who was in fact the enemy of her own family, would not suddenly make her love for him change. Which is what I want to convey with my use of the line, however not as the title of the poem. The picture in figure 2 is one of the designs which had included a rose or was rose inspired which I had designed in 2016, which is a pair of earrings and a pendant.

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2016). Rose by Another Name Series. Silver chain with roses.

I therefore decided to make a rose chain as seen in figure 2, which I was trying to use as a mouthpiece to converse the idea that even though one may take a rose and place it on a silver chain, the chain still was a chain which enslaved the wife. I had looked at several slave chain and found that they were mostly oval and this was the chain shape I had chosen to make. I had decided to solder the small roses onto the actual chain.  I still have yet to finish off the chain, because I am sill undecided as to how to finish off the piece. However I want it to have a slave chain look and feel to it.   Nonetheless I want the overall theme to display the idea that as much as it may look attract to the eye, it doesn’t change the fact that causes harm nor the fact that it there to enslave her.

Figure 3: Rose by another name series, brass and crystal beaded bridal piece.

The third development of the series was the piece seen in figure 3, where I expanded on the slavery idea by making brass neck and arm cuffs. I tried to add a bridal element to the piece by using the clear crystal beads instead if chains.  

Cage Bird Theme Design Development

 The pictures below are my initial interpretations of the poem and theme.


side view of beaded bird test one

top view of beaded bird test one

cage bird test piece two

After I had completed the white cage bird in the middle I began to sense that the design didn’t have much firm form to it and wanted to create a backing to hold the shape the beads had created.



Cage Bird Theme

Before I post my jewellery experimentations I have first chosen to share the poem which has directed or informed the design process. I still need to iron out a few things as this is still a draft of the poem.

Ndobhabha kanjani nina on broken wings (how am I to fly on broken wings)?

for they broke me

I fly no more

for they broke me

deeming that a bird without flight

 could never leave

for they believed a bird able to dance in the sky

would never remain in cage

nor believe in the lie

that every bird is destined to live in a cage

broken wings

I have become a caged bird that only sings

sings about a life never lived

sings about an eternity never breathed

broken wings

what am

just a cage bird with broken wings