A live-art performance based on traditional Afrikaans wedding rituals recently took place in Stellenbosch, with the intention of stimulating critical and mindful engagement with the cultural rituals around weddings.
This was according to Stephanie Fichardt, director of That Eclectic, a creative collective which aims to connect people through mindful events. That Eclectic hosted the event, That White Wedding, on 16 October, said Fichardt in email correspondence with MatieMedia. Tickets for the event were sold to 50 people, she added.
The venue was an old slave house in the centre of Stellenbosch. “We felt that of all the events to be held in this venue throughout its almost 400 years, a critical and satirical exploration of white Afrikaaner culture could not only be thought-provoking, but poignant,” said Fichardt.
The idea for the event came after Fichardt listened to a podcast. “I came up with the event after listening to an episode of the Air It podcast that delves into white Afrikaner wedding rituals,” said Fichardt. “The aim is to exaggerate the rituals of a white Afrikaner wedding in order to explore their absurdities, meanings and relevance,” she continued.
A live-art performance that took place on 16 October, That White Wedding, was based on traditional Afrikaans wedding rituals. It consisted of multi-sensory elements, and the actresses involved went through the motions of getting married, while remaining in character and engaging with the audience, said Stephanie Fichardt, the director of That Eclectic. That Eclectic is the creative collective that hosted the event. PHOTOS: Erin Walls
The ceremonial performance
The performance involved two characters, played by Nicolene Burger, the host of Air It, and Mandri Sutherland, an actress, who were supposed to be getting married, said Fichardt. However, their grooms never appeared. This was intended to represent how grooms are usually absent during the planning of a wedding, according to Fichardt.
The actresses went through the motions of getting married, while remaining in character and engaging with the audience, said Fichardt.
“Our intention is really to investigate ourselves, and allow the audience to also reflect on why we do these rituals…what they mean and where they are still relevant, and in what way they’re not accurately reflecting the kind of relationships that we currently have,” said Burger.
By creating a performance around this topic, “[it displays] this pressure that we both have from our families to get married”, explained Burger.
The performance touched on aspects of conservative Afrikaans culture, such as marriage being seen as an initiation into adulthood, particularly for women, claimed Fichardt.
That White Wedding, a live-art performance that took place on 16 October, was intended to exaggerate the rituals around traditional Afrikaans weddings in order to stimulate critical and mindful engagement with the cultural rituals around weddings. “We will be flirting with a ‘typical’ white wedding in a playful way with the decor, catering and dress code, but other than that we have tried to consider and subvert as many aspects of a ‘typical’ wedding as possible,” said Stephanie Fichardt, the director of That Eclectic. That Eclectic is the creative collective that hosted the event. PHOTOS: Erin Walls
“We ask questions about the woman’s role within a traditional marriage, the community’s engagement and enforcement of these roles, and the weird ways in which sexual innuendo is part of this ritual,” explained Fichardt.
The wedding also involved “awkward pre-drinks”, a white and lilac dress code, and a party for the reception, said Fichardt.
“This [wedding] ritual is so widely known, yet vastly under-considered. I thought it could be an interesting way to explore these aspects of our culture communally. I hope that people will cringe, and turn that cringe into a reflection of both one’s self and one’s culture,” said Fichardt, prior to the event.
The space which was created in the courtyard was traditional, with white chairs, welcoming drinks and an arch way, according to Christiaan Diedericks, the owner of the house, and the event manager.
“We also created a podcast section after the ceremony, where individuals could share their opinions on the performance after a shot of tequila,” said Diedericks. A recording area was set up in a room in the house, said Diedericks.
Keeping with the theme of a wedding, the event had a voluntary gift registry with a charitable aspect, according to Stephanie Fichardt, director of That Eclectic. “Our ‘gift registry’ consists of items such as sanitary products, books, tinned food and stationery, which will be donated (in association with the Safina Foundation) to Hope Primary School in the Eastern Cape and Kayamandi Secondary School,” said Fichardt. PHOTOS: Erin Walls