The Phansi museum will be launching new exhibits and programmes to engage visitors of the museum. Len Rosenburg’s the Re-imaginged Kitchen Suit 2015 exhibition takes a look at the ‘Kitchen Suit’ as an iconic colonial and apartheid period garment and as another symbol of our past, representing oppression, segregation and control.
According to Rosenburg, the dirty linen “airs”the shameful past of the former Durban City Council. The dirty linen theme is discussed by displaying the images on cloth to resemble washing on a line.The opening will also include a showcase of the re-imagined kitchen suits.
The 2016 Art – Craft – Tradition calendar will be launched simultaneously with the Kitchen Suit exhibition. Each year, the Phansi Museum distributes thousands of these calendars to schools, clinics and education institutions in both urban and rural KZN. The museum will also launch the second edition of their Ukukhulisa, (coming of age) book which celebrates Phansi Museum and 21 years of the art, craft and tradition calendars.
The Phansi museum has a collection of over 500 artefacts and provides visitors to witness the incredibly diverse and unique cultural experiences that South Africa holds.
Another premier attraction of the museum is the extraordinary collection of 30 life-sized puppets clothed in the ceremonial attire representing various ethnographic districts. Each puppet has a very specific dress code; the colour, material and design of clothing and jewellery indicating where the wearer is from, their age, gender and social status.
“Much is considered fabulous in South Africa, even if the origins are deeply rooted in some evil human engineering and racism suffered by many. But, just think of music, fashion, and all art in general, how the very craft of it inspired great exploration” explained Paul Mikula, architect and initiator of the Phansi Museum.
The exhibits will open from 5 to 18 December 2015 at 500 Esther Roberts Road, Glenwood, Durban.
