Aggression is shown in the forceful ‘Zap’ sign used in the sculptures.The middle finger and the hand sometimes represent not only the person, but in the Mugabe works it is also the constricted ‘lifeline’ of a nation. These works are based on several anthropological transcripts of life history interviews done with migrantsand entitled No Voice. I have downloaded the The Bill of Rights and deleted every word that has to do with human rights. The video presentation entitled “No Voice” uses those very words to obliterate the ‘voice’ of the migrant.
Mugabe's Game Plan
JACOB’S LADDER
Susan Woolf
The Taxi hand signs are a silent gestural language that millions of commuters and taxi drivers use to communicate their desired destination. The Jacob’s Ladder series was a direct consequence of the Taxi hand sign ‘to Town’ that was being used incorrectly by a commuter using the middle finger instead of the forefinger.
Out of this error a second body of work emerged using this rude middle finger as an embodiment of different characters. The idea was generated by an observation in the newspaper of Jacob Zuma gesturing with a zap sign when he exited the court after being acquitted of rape charges. [This hand gesture could be seen as a phallic machine gun, as the machine gun song, Umshini wami, is believed to have been Zuma’s revolutionary trademark].
Individuals who become famous - actors, politicians and sports people for instance, are too often made into heroes, even demi-Gods by society and the media. If at all they may slip and not live up to the expectations we created of them, we are quick to judge and put them down. With Jacob’s Ladder each hand represents or embodies a well-known individual, showing his accomplishments and failings. Positive qualities of goodness, a sense of humour, errors of judgement may personify some of the characters selected. In others the immoral or even evil side of that character is revealed. The people who exemplify this hero-villain syndrome in the Jacob’s Ladder series are: President Jacob Zuma, Winnie Mandela, P W Botha, Evita (Pieter Dirk Uys) and Robert Mugabe. One sculpture, “On the Other Hand” represents the judging public. The sculptures take their title from the story of Jacob’s Ladder in the Old Testament. It is an aggressive account of flight, dreams, ladders, stolen identities and judgement. A narrative which talks about human failings, human concerns and endeavours, yet also exemplifies a means towards a greater good.