Associate Professor Jean Brundrit
IAS Open Programme
Michaelis School of Art, University of Cape Town
Associate Professor Jean Brundrit teaches photography, researches and makes art in the Fine Art Department at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her areas of enquiry are primarily concerned with exploring the environment and identity in relation to visual representation. Her work pertaining to the environment is focused on the impact of rapid climate change and how this is represented in art; as well as the interconnectedness of humans and their relationship to the natural world.
Jean is interested in the advances of visualizing technology including photography – in its broadest definition – and the opportunity that this presents in making things never observed before visible.
Following these interests, in December 2019 she travelled to Antarctica aboard a research ship to photograph with a lens made of ice. The resulting images are an interpretation, rather than a description, of the surrounding environment. These have been exhibited in Cape Town as Over the horizon and an upcoming photo book is planned with the Antarctic Legacy Project of South Africa.
Jean’s published research is primarily visual – the creation of artworks. However she also writes and reflects on her production and that of others in catalogue essays, conference papers and books. In addition, she has collaborated on a number of photovoice projects focussing on social justice issues within South Africa. As a visual artist she has exhibited extensively in South Africa and contributed to a number of international exhibitions.