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07 December 2023 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo CHARL DEVENISH
Dr Marié Herbst
Dr Marié Herbst received her PhD with specialisation in Design, titled The (S)Pace of Images: establishing a practice of the conscious abstraction of motion. She hopes that the techniques and processes explored in her research will spark creativity in the way other designers approach their work.

“My research has unveiled the exquisite patterns generated by motion in nature and everyday objects – patterns that often evade our awareness as we encounter motion in a fleeting moment. Abstraction plays a pivotal role in unveiling these exquisite yet largely unnoticed patterns that surround us.”

This is the perspective of Dr Marié Herbst, who graduated at the University of the Free State (UFS) in December, receiving her PhD with specialisation in Design, titled The (S)Pace of Images: establishing a practice of the conscious abstraction of motion.

Abstraction, a key component of building design

Dr Herbst says that the abstract art movement has had a profound influence on how designers think about design. “Highly regarded architects such as Le Corbusier and Zaha Hadid identify their practice of creating abstract paintings as the driving force behind their ground-breaking building designs. Abstraction is therefore a key component of building design, although the process of how it is applied has historically not received adequate attention. My research explores the way abstraction enables designers to include design information that is only possible through the process of abstraction. One such aspect is motion. Through the process of tracing and superimposing still images extracted from films, I can integrate them into a single picture that shows the progression of time,” she explains.

She hopes that the techniques and processes explored in her research will ignite creativity in how other designers approach their work. “The concepts and techniques outlined in my research are intended to prompt other designers to reconsider the procedures they employ when crafting spaces,” she states.

In the future, Dr Herbst says, she would like to further explore the ideas sparked by her research, such as determining how design would be affected by recording movement in a three-dimensional environment. “New technologies such as LiDAR make the recording of three-dimensional information much simpler, and it will increasingly become a part of our everyday lives. This is a potentially useful information stream that could be applied to create novel designs,” she says.

‘Practice-based’ versus ‘design-led’ research

Prof Jonathan Noble, Head of the Department of Architecture, says this is the very first PhD from the new creative research programme in architecture that was launched in 2018, where the student has completed a ‘design-led’ enquiry. 

He explains that the new creative programme differentiates between ‘practice-based’ research, closely tied to real-world architecture, where candidates analyse and study their previous work, and ‘design-led’ research, which is led by an entirely new creative exploration that encourage speculation and experimentation. According to him, the latter leads to a creative enquiry, and this body of new work is analysed and written about.

Following Prof Noble, postgraduate research in architecture in South Africa has traditionally centred around architectural theory, cultural history, urban studies, and conservation. Creative research methods, however, have not been as prominent. The Department of Architecture is addressing this by introducing new postgraduate research modes supported by innovative research degrees, marking a departure from the traditional approach in South Africa.

“We believe the programme will have a lasting and significant effect upon our professional degrees, injecting professional creativity and new thinking into the life of the department, and serving as an opportunity to look deeply into design and pedagogic practices. Over time, the programme will strengthen ties with the profession and address the closed mentalities of the so-called ‘academic ivory tower’.”

“In addition to providing emerging young scholars with opportunities, the programme facilitates the documentation of the unique qualities of South African practice and makes an important contribution to future research publication and teaching pedagogy at the UFS and beyond,” he says.

News Archive

Future Kovsies explore Qwaqwa Campus
2017-05-26

Description: Qwaqwa Campus Open day 2017 Tags: Qwaqwa Campus Open day 2017

Description: Qwaqwa Open Day learners Tags: Qwaqwa Open Day learners

Learners from Molapo Secondary School in
Makoane, Qwaqwa, during Open Day.
Photo: Thabo Kessah

AMAZING! This is just one of the words used by prospective Kovsies to describe their experience, when thousands of learners visited the Qwaqwa Campus for this year’s Open Day on Saturday 20 May 2017.

“Spending time on campus and learning what the university offers even beyond academics was such an amazing experience,” said a prospective Political Studies and Governance student, Kamohelo Mofokeng from Bluegumbosch Secondary School in Qwaqwa.

“We explored both academic and support services, and getting to see and listen to motivating words from eTV stars was unforgettable,” she added. “The event was informative and many of our learners even managed to apply online using university facilities,” said Modiehi Masita, Life Orientation teacher at Tsebo Secondary School in Boiketlo, Qwaqwa.

First step in the right direction

Talking to learners, Campus Principal Prof Prakash Naidoo said their visit was the first step in the right direction.

“This is the first step towards attaining your dream qualification. You have to work hard to build yourself a career, and not aspire to be what is commonly known as a tenderpreneur,” he said. “You have come to this campus when men need to stand up and not bury their heads in the sand, as we are faced with abuse and killings of women and children. We must all stand up to abuse,” he said under resounding appreciation from learners and their teachers.

Also talking to the learners were TV stars from eTv’s Rhythm City and Scandal.

I can and I will make it
‘I can and I will make it’ led by Mapula Mafole was adopted as the war cry towards the examinations and success in life for the class of 2017. Mafole plays the role of Mapula in the TV series Rhythm City. She was accompanied by Ishmael Sango and Nkosi Cengane, who respectively play Sabelo and Emmanuel in Rhythm City, and Mbulelo Katise who plays Scelo in Scandal.

Qwaqwa Campus alumnus and hip-hop artist, TactixSA, provided entertainment.

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