Installation art has been critically interpreted with reference to themes or situations, the transgressive nature of this art form, place and space, material, or immersion and embodied perception. To a lesser degree, installation art’s narrative possibilities have also been explored. However, the centrality of  character  as a narratological tool for the interpretation of installation art has not yet been comprehensively investigated. As the viewer in installation art is transformed into an active participant by virtue of physically entering and ‘completing’ the work, it is argued that he or she also becomes a character in the storyworld of the artwork. Furthermore, it is posited that this participant-character becomes a focaliser who co-constructs the narrative suggested by the work by engaging with the narrativised elements presented in the work, often together with suggested absences at which the work hints. This article shows that character as a narratological tool creates interpretative possibilities for installation art and adds new dimensions to the narrative potential of this art form. Using character (and absence) in the South African installation artist Jan van der Merwe’s work  Biegbak/Confessional  (2003) as an example, an expansion of the narratological toolbox of installation art is suggested, that could find broader application in many works in this genre.

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Character (and absence) as a narrative key in installation art

This article presents an interpretation of the nun-like figures in Ian Marley and Wessie van der Westhuizen's artist's book Nunology. The nun-like figures, all with names that suggest puns of some sort, comprise the cast of characters in this book. We interpret aspects of the characterisation of the character Ranunsel, and also reference the characters Nunguni and Mununtant as examples of a whole array of these characters that appear in the book. The article makes use of an interdisciplinary approach in which the narratological concepts of character and characterisation are applied towards a visual narratology, which is a branch of postclassical narratology. The theoretical exposition of character and characterisation is presented both with reference to their literary narratological definitions, which are expanded into possible visual application. This is followed by an interpretative section where the concepts are applied to the selected nun-figures or characters. Identity through character narration and portraits as a facet of character guide the discussion, as does the notion of a mental representation both of character and of storyworld. This article contributes towards the expansion of visual narratology, and also towards the scholarship pertaining to the practice-led research project Reflective Conversations of which Nunology formed part.
Karakter en karakterisering in die visuele kunste: Nunology se woordspelingskarakters
Hierdie artikel bied 'n interpretasie van die non-agtige figure in Ian Marley en Wessie van der Westhuizen se kunstenaarsboek Nunology. Die non-agtige figure het almal name wat 'n tipe woordspel aandoen, en wat elk 'n hoofkarakter van hierdie boek uitmaak. Ons interpreteer aspekte van karakterisering in van die karakter Ranunsel, en verwys ter toeligting ook na Nunguni en Mununtant as voorbeelde van 'n hele rits karakters wat in die boek verskyn. Die artikel het 'n interdissplinere benadering waarin die narratologiese konsepte van karakter en karakterisering aangewend word in die konteks van 'n visuele narratologie, wat op sy beurt deel uitmaak van die breer postklassieke narratologie. Die teoretiese uiteensetting van karakter en karakterisering word aangebied in die letterkundige narratologiese definisie daarvan, en verder uitgebrei na visuele toepassingsmoontlikhede. Hierna volg 'n interpretasiegedeelte waar die konsepte van toepassing gemaak word op die geselekteerde non-agtige figure of karakters. Identiteit en karaktervertelling sowel as portretkuns as karakterfaset rig die bespreking, terwyl die idee dat die leser 'n beeld deur die geestesoog konstrueer van die karakter en haar storiewereld ook inspeel op die interpretasie. Die artikel dra by tot die uitbreiding van visuele narratologie, sowel as tot navorsing met betrekking tot die praktykgeleide navorsingsprojek Weerspieelings en weerklanke waarvan Nunology deel uitgemaak het.

Louisemarie Rathbone

Papers

Character and characterisation in the visual arts : Nunology 's punning characters