Which materials have they used and why?

As previously mentioned in Chapter One, the Xhosa people are a spiritual people whose beliefs impact every spectrum of their lives. It is therefore no surprise to discover that their choice in beading materials is also influenced by their beliefs. 

A vast number of their beadwork include various types of charms ranging from the conception of a child, marital issues to mention a few. The above picture is one of the displays which was exhibited in order to show the various charms which held not just meaning for the Xhosa people, but held spiritual powers. 

One of the pieces from the display was a necklace made from lucky beans which comes from the erythrina caffra tree. According to Xhosa beliefs, this tree was believed to symbolise "health, prosperity and a good season."  Therefore if one hoped to attract these into their lives, they would then have to wear a piece of jewellery, as in this case a necklace strung with such seeds. 

What kind of Imagery and symbolism has she used?

As previously stated, the main focus of Stuntman's narrative works are women and she therefore relies on a lot of imagery which will depict the various aspects of created womenhood in order to express her narrative. 

Figure 26 Figure 27 Barbara Stutman, (1996) Stacking Reality Brooch. [ONLINE]

In her series entitled "Stacking Realities",  as seen above; she has created a womanlike figurine with a tray attached to her. 

Figure 28 Stutman, B (1993). One Being Female. Brooch [ONLINE]

Her work is a creative collection which uses a vast number of imageries all centred on that specific subject matter. An example of this is the 4 part brooch taken from her "One Being Female" series. With these Brooches, she has incorporated the use of tampons alongside fine silver, Spandex, colouredcopper wire, brass and copper. 

Figure 29 Stutman, B. (1998) It’s a girl! 2 Fine silver and coloured copper ring. [ONLINE]

She sometimes also used shoes, specifically high hills in order to mock media for their false idea of their ideal women.

As seen in the three examples provided, she has relied on the usage of various imagery based on the specific subject matter, but all pertaining to  women. 

Colour

As colour carries meaning and may hold close association to certain things varying from culture to culture, it would be important for the designer to keep these in mind when designing. The report will discussing the meaning of colour as pertaining the Xhosa culture in the section to follow which is dedicated to Xhosa beadwork.