South African taxi hand signs : documenting the history and significance of taxi hand signs through anthropology and art, including the invention of a tactile shape-language for blind people.

摘要

This study documents and analyses the first established record of taxi hand signsudand their respective destinations in South Africa. It demonstrates how taxi handudsignification developed into a useful language over time, out of a desperate needudfor transport amongst black, multi-cultural and multi-lingual people living inudSouth Africa. Its central objective is to recognise taxi hand signs as metaphors forudprocesses of history in pre- and post-apartheid South Africa. This is a study thatudcrosses disciplinary boundaries and marries fine art, anthropology and philosophyudin exploring new meanings and understandings of taxi hand signs. In this way, ituddemonstrates the extent to which art informs other disciplines in extraordinaryudways, adding to the value of inter-disciplinary research.udThe research indicates that taxi signs are part of an evolving, well-functioning,udgestural language for sighted commuters. It goes further to probe the question ofudhow blind commuters might have access to the signs, thereby enhancing theirudindependence and movement. The study responds to this question through theuddesign of a new, tactile shape-language of taxi hand signs for blind people.udQualitative research techniques were employed throughout the three phases of theudresearch, namely: preliminary research, research design, and social and fine artudresponses. The methodologies utilised in the phases were sampling, semistructuredudinterviews and participant observation. These were each employed atudspecific times to meet specific needs of different phases. I, along with some coresearchers,udapplied these in taxi ranks, taxi associations and on the streets ofudGauteng. The methods used attest to the fact that when new knowledge wasudsought with key informants in the taxi industry, the different methodologies couldudbe used to verify and corroborate the informants’ information, which in turnudbecome the keystones of knowledge distribution in the thesis. With limiteduddocumentation on the emergence of taxi hand signs in the industry, the informantsudfurnished unexplored background information, which I have interpreted in myudartworks, films, books, stamps, maps and the blind shape-language.ud16udThe anthropological research also probed the function of signification throughudliterary criticism. This involved an investigation of the components of the processudof signification into its constituent parts in order to conceptualise andudcontextualise taxi hand signing and its particular relations and narrative contentudwithin the greater field of gestural signification.udThe response of art and artists to anthropological, historical and currentudapproaches was also explored, again to provide context to my art that evolved outudof the research. These involved conceptual and graphic art interpretations probingudmovement, time, space and signification, which led to an art exhibition at the WitsudArt Museum (henceforth referred to as WAM) from 12 June to 14 July 2013.udTaxi hand signs are continually evolving as new destinations and narratives arise.udTogether with the art responses document, this thesis records and promotes theudestablished body of the current taxi hand signs, destinations and narratives, forudboth sighted and blind people, by providing written, visual and sensory evidenceudof a cultural phenomenon that was previously uncharted.