Mapping time

Jessica Storm Kapp

Mapping time
Rammed earth columns and embedded object
Installation: 150 cm x 250 cm x 250 cm

This multisensory approach to sculptural installation becomes site specific to dwellings in the area of Knysna (South Africa).  It is clear that the geographical approach to the work traces space and place throughout history, culminating in the recent disastrous Knysna fires of 2017. By adopting phenomenological concepts of subjectivity, the artist attempts to create visceral experiences, showing how art is able to embody auratic qualities of home in order to create expressions of it.  Fragments of retrieved objects and materials are combined in an attempt to illustrate concepts such as loss, trace, place attachment and reflection. 

Ultimately, regarding the pressing issues of land, including pre/post, and de-colonial struggles, the work’s ability to ambiguously navigate through and around these sensitive issues makes it worthy of being the winning artwork.

Jessica Storm Kapp is a creative predominantly working within the field of Fine Art. Being a collector of things, the action of retrieval as well as the histories attached to found objects are central themes in her investigations into home, following the event of the 2017 Knysna Fires. She is currently completing her undergraduate degree in Fine Art at Stellenbosch University. Through various print-making techniques, photography, sculpture and installation, Jess strives to create immersive moments in which viewers can experience the essence of place through their multiple senses.