Dr Graham van Wyk

He is working with Shelley Sacks and Maritta Koch-Weser to develop the Earth Agendaproject and related web-platform which will facilitate cross sectorglobal networking and exchanges among scientists, artists,policy-makers, projects and social movements concerning social andecological questions.

Graham is committed to making connections and crossing borders,conceptual and geopolitical. This has taken him to northern Russiawhere he witnessed both the destructive power of uncaringindustrialisation and the resilience of the human spirit amongenvironmental activists.

He is currently researching the notion of 'capital' in Joseph Beuys'thought and its implications for an economics of human well-being, aswell as developing his doctoral research on money and the state inSouth Africa, for a study on money and freedom.  Graham is alsoactive in the Art, Culture and Sustainability research cluster,with a special interest in creating an interface that faciltates workand dialogue between local NGOs and university researchers.

For many years Graham was involved in cultural, community and workersorganisations in South Africa. His social and cultural concerns led toactive participation in the South Peninsula Educational Fellowship, NewWorld Film Society and the Artists' Alliance. He researched anddocumented conditions of farm workers and rural communities in theLittle Karoo region and was involved in the early development ofdomestic workers organisation in Cape Town.  He worked withShelley in the Unemployed Workers' Movement, and on a feasibility studyfor an Unemployed Worker's Union, as well as helping to establish thefirst Cape Town Trade Union Library.  He served as a nationalofficial for the Union for Commercial and Catering Workers inSouth Africa and, as a representative to the trade union federation,COSATU, was involved in policy development for building democracy inSouth Africa.

Graham has worked closely with Shelley on several projects, most especially the early development of Exchange Values.It was Graham's idea in the mid 90s -witnessing the levels of interestin social sculpture in the UK -to try and develop a university-basedsocial sculpture research unit. 

Graham sees his involvement in the sphere of social sculpture as the point of intersection of his many interests and concerns.

Read a summary of Graham's talk in Winnipeg 

http://www.artsforall.ca/index.php/AFA/article/graham_van_wyk

email: gvanwyk@brookes.ac.uk