Elizabeth Mills
c/o A J Mills
Ninham Shand
P O Box 11147
Southernwood, East London 5213, South Africa
Tony.Mills@shands.co.za
Portfolio Presentation Proposal: "Mountain of the Gods: The Tsodilo Hills"
I wish to submit the following proposal for consideration to the Impact Kontakt Conference IV to be held in Berlin/Poznan this year.
My submission will take the form of a small exhibit or open portfolio with etchings and accompanying photographs and artifacts based on the Tsodilo Hills and the !Kung San/Bushman who live in the area of this World Heritage Site in the Kalahari Desert, Botswana, Africa.
Could you kindly inform me, should this be possible, what sort of space is available in the event of an open portfolio presentation, and is this on a wall area or on table top? Is there a limit to size? Would this be on a first come, first served basis or is it possible to
book the space in advance?
I understand that 15 February was the date for proposals to be registered, but am hoping to present the work as an open portfolio if it
is not possibleto exhibit otherwise.
PROPOSAL:
" Mountain of the Gods ", the Tsodilo Hills:
Rising majestically from the surrounding Kalahari Desert in Botswana, southern Africa, Tsodilo is the highest peak ( 1395
metres ) and a sacred landmark that has for thousands of years attracted people to live, trade and visit.
A local !Kung legend says that Tsodilo was once a family of father, mother and children, hence the three cliffs are named: Father, Mother and Child.
Tsodilo is one of Africa's premier rock sites and Botswana's first World Heritage Site.
Over 4,500 images here, most between 850 AD and 1100 AD, have been painted at 400 sites at the hills. They portray many varied images, including wild and domestic animals, geometric patterns and humans. These images were finger-painted using pigment ground from haematite ( red ), charcoal, and calcrete ( white ), and were mixed with animal fat, blood, bone marrow, egg-white, honey, sap or urine.
I intend to present a small exhibit or portfolio of a series of etchings based on the above site.
The subject matter will include insight into the lives of the !Kung San/Bushman people who lived ( and still live ) in the area.
In their daily lives they have tried to maintain their traditional activities such as hunting, gathering, healing through trance dance,
crafts and their culture.
Their struggle against the extreme odds of the advance of modern civilisation, and their attempt to maintain enough land suitable for
their wat of life is ongoing.
The site has a museum and welcomes visitors, although it is very remote. Attempts are being made to try to preserve their valuable heritage and to encourage the San in the area to continue their traditional way of
life.
Rising majestically from the surrounding Kalahari Desert in Botswana, southern Africa, Tsodilo is the highest peak (1395
metres ) and a sacred landmark that has for thousands of years attracted people to live, trade and visit. A local !Kung legend says that Tsodilo was once a family of father, mother and children, hence the three cliffs are named: Father, Mother and Child.
Tsodilo is one of Africa's premier rock sites and Botswana's first World Heritage Site.
Over 4,500 images here, most between 850 AD and 1100 AD, have been painted at 400 sites at the hills. They portray many varied images, including wild and domestic animals, geometric patterns and humans. These images were finger-painted using pigment ground from haematite (red ), charcoal, and calcrete ( white ), and were mixed with animal fat, blood, bone marrow, egg-white, honey, sap or urine.
I intend to present a small exhibit or table-top portfolio of a series of etchings based on the above site.
The subject matter will include insight into the lives of the !Kung San/Bushman people who lived ( and still live ) in the area.
In their daily lives they have tried to maintain their traditional activities such as hunting, gathering, healing through trance dance,
crafts and their culture.
Their struggle against the extreme odds of the advance of modern civilisation, and their attempt to maintain enough land suitable for
their way of life is ongoing.
The site has a museum and welcomes visitors, although it is very remote. Attempts are being made to try to preserve their valuable heritage and to encourage the San in the area to continue their traditional way of life.
CV:
Elizabeth Mills has a B.A.F.A. degree from Michaelis Art School, University of Cape Town. She was one of the printmakers from East London, South Africa represented at the Impact III Conference held in Cape Town in 2003. Our exhibit, " Salted Lines ", was on display at the National Museum in Cape Town during the IMPACT 3 conference.