WIAAM JACOBS BIOGRAPHY

WIAAM JACOBS

ARTIST STATEMENT

I currently identify as a developing multi-disciplinary creative artist focusing on dance pedagogy, choreography, mixed media, and visual art – namely: painting, drawing, photography, video, design, and filmmaking. 

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Whether I am teaching in a school setting or choreographing for a social media film, I use movement as a means to create a sense of community and connection. I am deeply interested in using dance as a form of self-expression, communication, transformation, and healing by illustrating emotional perspectives that emphasize the shared/common nature of social, economic, and/or political issues that we face as a South African society and as individuals. This stems from my personal belief – not only as a developing artist but as a coloured female facilitator/teacher – that the notion of representation and accessibility within all spaces/settings is something that should be fought for.

When considering the artistic work I engage in (irrespective of the medium), I believe that storytelling is important, thus I aim to create a series of meaningful images/motifs – this will be explained further in the essay.

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When it comes to my practice, each movement has meaning – using this approach allows me to move with quality and communicate ideas clearly. I believe the transformative and healing potential in dance lies in examining our ability to have intense emotional responses to our problems and struggles. In short – our physical bodies hold stories and emotions (sometimes trauma, joys & success too) that calls for an outlet. I believe we can enter an empowering place by identifying these emotional experiences through ritual and movement. When I choreograph, I like to focus on creating an intimate connection between the body and movement – to achieve this, I draw from everyday gestures, as well as a variety of dance (modern, contemporary, ballet, and African). I also draw on how one relates to the movement and strives to explore one’s individual relationship to movement.

The use of film in my creative practice is important too, as I am often inspired by images, scenes, or visual scenarios. By using angles, filters, focus, and creating a cinematic world, I feel I can contextualize movements in a new way. This allows me to highlight the nuances of simple movements. When it comes to film, I feel as though I can utilize different forms of media to create a multi-dimensional experience.

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Moreover, my visual art practice is grounded in my dance background. While I am not formally trained in visual art, my knowledge, passion, and training in dance caused me to explore the use of ‘sensing’ in space - by which I mean finding ways to engage the audience senses, beyond what they see.

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Overall, my artist vision includes:  connection, storytelling, sensing, healing, transformation, self-expression, community, exploration, and ritual. These are the core values of my creative journey that I hope to bring to my artistic work.