Miscarriages

The technical definition for miscarriage is when an embryo or fetus perishes before is exceeds the 20th week pregnancy. According to research around 10 -25% of pregnancies result in a miscarriage. (PPFA, 2019; Staff, 2019).  However, miscarriages like suicide have long been part of the "unspoken" issues which plague our communities, as though it were an illness which spread when it was spoken about.

Within society, even in the Xhosa communities, it was almost disgraceful for a woman to be unable to conceive and give birth to a healthy child. Due to lack of available information, women ended up being made to feel as though they were failures when found to be barren, as though she somehow failed at doing the one thing that her body was designed for. A real woman ought to be able to bring forth life, isn't she?

   Figure 1 Connie Brichford (2016) Female Anatomy. [ONLINE]

As seen in figure 1, the female anatomy unlike that of a man, is designed to conceive, carry and give birth to life (Brichford, 2016). 

What kind of Imagery and symbolism have I used?

I had gone on to expand on the labola concept by first designing a cow’s head using the Rhino design programme, I did this with the intentions of printing the cow head so that it would be the most dominate feature in the piece of jewellery which I would make. I have included some of the initial CAD/CAM drawings of the cow head.

Ndongeni, S. (2018) CAD/CAM Cow head

The reason for making the cow the focal point is that it is my way of expressing the idea of it being the most important feature. 

The Ilobola Series

One of the major inspirations for this specific series was a documentary I had watched based on child marriages in Africa. There was this one particular interview which was the core basis of thought. This young girl had actually said that she felt as though her father has valued the cows more than he had valued her life.

This is actually a popular idea  within the Native African cultures where a father would view a son as a legacy as it would be through him the family line would be expand and it would be through the marriage of his daughter he would be able to enlarge his kraal or wealth. Although this may not be how all fathers view their children, it has been then experience of many children and especially young girls who have been forced to marriages and I just this to be an appalling practice. I have tried to convey this in the poem below:

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2016). Rendering of A daughter's heart ring-pendant.

A Daughter’s heart

Ndingumtu(I am a person), with dreams and desires

Ndingumtu, with a heart

 Through you rip it

Still, Ndingumtu

What price have you placed on a lifetime?

Placed on a life time

Placed on a memory

Placed on the heart that loves you

What price have you received?

 So I could love you no more?

Tata, when did you teach your heart to love no more?

Tata, when did you teach your heart to forget ndiyinyanma negazi lakho (your very flesh and blood)

To forget my heart yinhliziyo yakho (is your very heart)

Tata (daddy), when did you teach your heart to no longer see a daughter in me?

In order to deal with the issues addressed in this series, I will discuss as follows:

a. Design concept one

b. Design concept two

Labola experimentation

a. The Price

b. Ikhomo

Which Techniques has she used?

In her work, Stuntman predominantly ues techniques such as embroidery, weaving, crocheting and knitting, techniques which were traditionally used by women. She uses these specific techniques as juxtaposition tools in order express her views on women to the world.  

Figure 27, is an example of her work taken from the “Impaired Vision” series.

 Figure 27 Stutman, B. (1997) Sugar and Spice: Must we be Nice? Brooch. [ONLINE]^[1]

In this piece she has chosen to use both knitting and crocheting as her main techniques. With this series, she was attempting to depict how media does not give a true portrayal of women, but however uses devices in order to create insecurities within women in order to further thier own agendas. 

According to Rachel Felder, one of the authors of the online publication Good Housekeeping; red lipstick is "unique combination of boldness, strength, and self-assured sexiness". However these are all ideologies which have been placed into the human psyche through media through out history. 

She has skillfully used these techniques closely associated with women to almost ask "is this really what you want women to focus on?" With the aid of her material selection she was able to further emphasis judgement of media for their depiction of the women. 

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[1]Available at: http://www.barbarastutman.com/works/impaired.php 

Which materials has she used and why?

Figure 26 Barbara Stutman, (2015) Imperfect Beauty IB23 Neckpiece. [ONLINE] 

            

The above picture is taken from Stuntman's series entitled “Imperfect Beauty”, in this particular series she was trying to explore the beauty found in “the old, the blemished, the humble and irregular.” In order to create these pieces she has worked with stretch bead cord, coloured copper wire, freshwater pearls, seed beads and magnets.

She has chosen to use these materials in order to express her narrative as these materials are able to create a rough appearance and give the idea of something scrappy looking in comparison to what could be described as a beautifully polished finish. These materials also provide her with dimension without adding additional weight to the piece (Guyomarc'h, 2018).  

In her work, she predominantly places focus on her message and therefore tries to consider all the relevant factors which will influence the final delivery. Material is therefore ine of these important factors as displayed in the example above.b

How does she deal with them?

Figure 25 Stutman, B. (1996) How to Become a Woman Parts 1-3 Brooches. [ONLINE]

The picture above, is from the four part series entitled, “Negotiating Identity”.  It is a three set made from fine silver, copper, nickel silver and polyurethane. In this series, she uses her work as a vehicle to narrate the negative ways in which mass media distorts women through ongoing processes. She once again uses her jewellery to show how women can be influenced to become whatever the media tries to paint them to become.

The piece is entitled “How to Become a Woman, Parts 1-3”.  She is in a way mocking how the identity of the woman has been formed both traditionally and by media. In order to guide her audience she has relied not just on the imagery, but the titles of both the series and the pieces as an aid.

Which Issues does she address in her work?

Stutman tries to use her body of work as a vehicle which transports feminine concerns which are either swept under carpet and are not given a nondiscriminatory platform for conversation or consideration. Some of these concerns relating to the female gender that she deals with in her work are about incest, rape and even something as superficial as plastic surgery.

1. Impaired visions series

Being the candid female narrative jewellery advocate that she is, Stutman tries to liberate the female concept from traditional shackles and stereotypical metaphors which have been placed on females even by the media. In order to provide reference, this report will only include one of her works from the five part series.

Stutman, B.1999. Survival of the Footest 1. [ONLINE] ^[1]

In the series “Impaired Visions”, she uses her craft to mock how the female is portrayed by media and shows how they try to create these unattainable fantasies which work on women’s insecurities in order to increase sales. She explains how these false ideologies are both damaging to a woman and limit her to conform (Stutman, 1997).

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[1] Available at: http://www.barbarastutman.com/works/Resources/4-Impaired_3.jpg

Painted thoughts 3

The third remake was the above painting, which had no profound meaning. It was basically depicting how from when a child is conceived they will have you dancing to their own music.