<B>Narrations of a nation - the “art of the possible”</B>

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to introduce the political and economic importance of a number of textile and re-cycling craft projects involving the narration of personal circumstances as a form of socially engaged activism. These expressive textiles and ‘treasures from trash’ form a strong component of South Africa’s visual culture. I concur with Nicholas Mirzoeff the Professor of Art History and Comparative literature, (in Thompson and Sholette 2004:144) who points out that “politics consists of transforming the space of circulation into the space of manifestation”. He argues that visual culture serves as the interface between these territories.