KNYSNA NEWS - Jessica Storm Kapp (22) from Knysna was selected as the overall winner of the 2018 New Signatures art competition for her work, an installation titled Mapping Time. She wins R100 000 and the opportunity to have a solo exhibition at next year’s event.
The artwork investigates whether fine art can evoke multisensory experiences of home through the use of retrieved objects and materials. Being a collector of things, the action of retrieval, as well as the histories attached to found objects, are central themes in Kapp’s investigations into home, following the event of the fires in 2017.
Kapp is currently completing her undergraduate degree in fine art at Stellenbosch University. Speaking about her link to Knysna, Kapp says her family still lives in the town. Born in Port Elizabeth, her family moved to Knysna when she was about five.
"I completed preprimary and primary school in Knysna and after that I attended York High (in George) for my Grade 8 and 9 years, and then changed schools and completed the rest of my high school career in Grahamstown at DSG," she says.
She adds, "The fire has influenced how I perceive and understand home, so I use objects and materials retrieved from the geographical location of my home in Knysna in order to reference these events."
After the Knysna fires, there was damage to the outside of their house, the decks, pool and water tanks, and the entire forest surrounding the house were all burnt to the ground. "I lost my apiary but our house remained standing."
Article: Staff Reporter
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