Online research
AVA—The Association for Visual Arts is a non-profit, membership-based arts organisation that aims to advance and promote South African contemporary art and artists. Their office is in Cape Town, my nearest city. I registered as a member while doing this research.

Bell’s Vireo,” by Rosamond Purcell. The bird has woven bits of newspaper into the nest (including a scrap that mentioned Adolph S. Ochs, founder of the modern New York Times). 7/10/2008. (https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/07/science/07bird_ready.html
I am thinking about my nestmaking as time consuming – it is a labor-intensive works and takes me to explore how ideas for making are generated, how things, just like ideass are part of a life cycle – some will be dispersed, referenced or forgotten.
Thinking about a community project when building a nest, I feel the following is good motivation: Nature is a precious common good. Promote environmental awareness among all citizens with a project linking art, culture and sustainable management of public space. Consider ideas of collective creativity: For individuals, schools and businesses: let’s discover land art and your environment through the creation of collective creations. the space can become a place for contemplation but also for events: Performances and installations: invite nature into your event with unusual, modular and interactive installations.
Exercise 3: Small opportunities
- working at the RASA art class – sharing my work and process
- Regular interaction on WA with OCA students – feedback and critique
- Using social media – Facebook and Instagram posts to communicate about my work and share work
The bamboo work process of Japanese artist, Tanabe Chikuunsai IV captures my admiration, also an inspiration to work on bigger scale. He uses a honeycomb structure and mentions it is a strong weave. I read more about his method and learn that he twines the strips together using weaves such as the turtle shell weave, which has a hexagonal or honeycomb structure. Using no adhesives, he relies on the strength of the bamboo to keep his installations erect and intact.
Research task: creative conversations
I listened to ‘Only Artists’ podcasts on Radio 4 – Anthony Gormley and felt it was a rich resource that benefits its audience by providing insights into the artistic process, fostering inspiration, enhancing appreciation, contributing to cultural enrichment, and engaging listeners in critical art discourse. It exemplifies the value of hearing directly from artists about their work and practices, making contemporary art more accessible and engaging for all.
It was personal as Gormley shared his philosophical views on art, existence, and the human condition. This enriches the understanding of his work and provides listeners with thought-provoking perspectives on broader existential themes. I also felt that his discussions about materials, form, and the role of the human body in his work helped me to understand the depth of thought and experimentation that underpins his making. Imagine a young sculptor listening to the podcast. They might hear Gormley discuss how he uses space and volume to create a dialogue between the artwork and its environment. This could inspire the young artist to explore similar themes in their work, pushing their creative boundaries.
