Urban Humanities: Speculative Indigeneity – A (K)new Now by heeten bhagat

Studio 3, Environmental and Geographical Science Building, Upper Campus, UCT, Cape Town, South Africa

Join ACC for a brown bag lecture by PhD student heeten bhagat on entitled Speculative Indigeneity -- A (K)new Now.  Heeten holds a BA in Design and Merchandising from The American College in London and a Masters in Audio Visual Production from London Metropolitan University. His initial training as a pattern cutter has allowed him the chance to grow, and, to experience and work: designing period costumes; building sets for adventure programmes; making experimental films; curating a national gallery; teaching at a French university; providing strategic support to newer organisations; making curious podcasts; and inviting a provocative hybridity to his family’s cookbook. Currently journeying through a PhD, he simultaneously offer creative, strategic, and manual support to a number of organisations and communities regionally. His research delves into notions of indigenousness and indigeneity in contemporary Zimbabwe. Of particular focus is the objective to explore/engineer/imagine methodologies, through speculative research, that trouble indigenous essentialisms.

Exhibition: ‘this image may contain’ by heeten bhagat

The Quad, The Arena Theatre Cape Tpwn

Join ACC's PhD candidate heeten bhagat for 'this image may contain' - a visual articulation of research in speculative indigeneities on Wednesday, 21 November 2018, 18:00 at The Quad, The Arena Theatre. The aim of this doctoral research was to attempt an interdisciplinary approach to search for registers (and absences) of indigeneity through a close reading of the 2017 Independence day celebration, held at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe. The focus of this study was motivated by two distinct elements from the event: The first is a banner that hangs over the official entrance to the performance arena, that declares – ‘ZIMBABWE WILL NEVER A BE COLONY AGAIN’. The second element is a fragment from the president’s address to the nation at this ceremony, which proclaims, "…..we can now call ourselves full the masters of our destiny". This works on show constitute the concluding articulation of this research journey into notions of speculative and speculating indigeneities.