Dear valued colleagues and friends of PY-TV, Here we are, at issue
number three, and of course the focus this time is on education and
activism in arts and culture. A political theme indeed then, and a
timely one too considering the election of Obama Barrack as
President of the United States - a fact that has given new hope to
the entire world that "yes we can" if we really put our hearts and
minds to it - and of course the crucial general election in South
Africa on April 22nd, an opportunity for change that has also come
not a moment too soon. The impact of a series of calamities and
scandals in South Africa's ministries, corporations and
institutions, not to mention the global banking system meltdown is
soul destroying and potentially devastating in the long term, and
we would argue that the root causes are fundamentally values based,
and that education has the biggest role in getting ethics back into
the boardroom. Optimism is simply not enough these days, it has to
be coupled with activism and that means not shying away from thorny
issues, not censoring yourself when you know something is amiss,
speaking out, and taking a stand. The rejection of the Dalai Lama's
visa application by the South African Government is the most
current and disgraceful scandal. Please sign the petition if you
believe that human rights, democracy, political equality and
freedom is more important than questionable deals with China :
http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama
GETTING
EDUCATION RIGHT...Bruce Gourley describes how education is too
important to be left just to the educators and why we are all the
stakeholders in the role education must play in South Africa.
In EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE TERRAIN, UCT Architecture Undergrad
HOD Dr. NIC COETZER investigates the pedagogy of the Bartlett
School (at the University College London) as a way to open debate
within the Architecture Department at the University of Cape Town
on what constitutes good design education.
A DREAM IS NOT A DREAM UNTIL IT IS DREAMT BY THE COMMUNITY Your
editor-in-chief visits the construction site of SA's Freedom Park
Museum, commissioned through a consultative process advertised
after an international competition did not yield a clear winner,
and asks project architect DIETER BRANDT of OCA, "is it going to be
any good?" RICHARD SMITH takes a journey through the 21st Century
media and education landscape in
MASTERS OF THEIR UNIVERSE and emerges battle weary. So when
does the student become the Master? In
BUT WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH DESIGN? VINCENT TRUTER
explains the process and discoveries made through an
interdisciplinary and cross-cultural public space intervention
spearheaded by Dutch Artist Fiona DeBell in a recent collaboration
with the Vega Brand Communication School.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO SUFFER FOOLS They say that ignorance is
bliss, but only for the ignorant. For the rest of us dealing with
the unqualified and uninspired makes trying to perform to the
professional standards to which we have been trained, a trial. DON
ALBERT takes a long hard look at the crisis of education in South
Africa, and comes up with some suggestions to deal with the brain
drain, and it is neither dagga nor emigration.
COME WITH ME TO THE DANCEFLOORNews of a new Prodigy release
always provokes a fresh outbreak of moonfaced anticipation from
diehard fans of ‘Experience’ and ‘Jilted Generation’, who hold out
for a return to the warped Korg synths and acid house stabs of
those seminal albums.
IF THE WORLD ENDS NOW...Phaidon’s follow-up to the Atlas of
World Architecture, the Atlas of 21st Century Architecture, came
not a moment too soon, argues DON ALBERT, an architect who also
features amongst its 800 pages.
DONTCHA KNOW IT'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT?Hedmechanik reviews the
latest Pieter Dirk-Uys show, "Erections and Elections" and comes
home sated. Lastly regular contributor Richard A Smith tackles the
thorny and fine line between the student and the master in
TEACHERS.
