IMAGINE a world where languages were seen as one dynamic whole instead of separate entities.
This is what the RINGA! Exhibition of Taal is all about exploring.
Event organiser Pule kaJanolintshi said the exhibition would work in two ways; the first being how young artists use language to inspire artwork and exploring language in the written form through an African writing system.
“They’ll take a phrase that comes from a type of way it is used in a language and use that to inspire an artwork and using different types of writing as a visual representation of language,” said kaJanolintshi.
He said the exhibition would also explore how writers use language symbolically in other countries.
“The point we are trying to make is that language is one thing. It’s not about how many languages you speak but rather how much language do you speak. We want to show language as a dynamic river that flows and joins and changes,” he said.
KaJanolintshi said the country comes from a legacy of division and languages were divided into different boxes.
“We still think of them in that way. Communication is not as free as it is in the streets.”
He said the exhibition, which features four Umuzi young artists, will explore the idea of language being one “complex organised whole in a natural flow”.
“You can judge where you are on that river system,” he said.
He said most of the languages spoken in the world were related and came from a common root and used the same grammar and added that the exhibition will highlight indigenous knowledge that has no European influence.
Umuzi, a community that provides young people access to high-value careers through more innovative education, is partnering with AFROPUNK for the exhibition.
Taking place tonight as part of Braamfontein’s First Thursday programme, the students will partner with Sandile Radebe and kaJanolintshi, and use Isibheqe, an indigenous writing system for Southern African languages as a medium to convey an everyday, pan-lingual experience.
“We are seeing language as a flowing river, branching off, and rejoining itself, all the time, forming surprising connections,” said kaJanolintshi adding that those in attendance would “see language like you’ve never seen it before.”
The exhibition took place in Braamfontein earlier this month and moves to Cape Town soon.
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