Fashioning Masculinity: Retrospective 2 - The Elusive Perfect Space for the Fashioned Masculine Body

There is a reason academics have events at academic venues or maybe at the occasional museum or gallery. See, spaces have a tradition of use and certain kinds of events with certain kinds of people and certain kinds of activities belong in certain kinds of venues. You wouldn't expect a soccer match in an art gallery or even on a basketball court, that is if you have the luxury of single-use spaces. At any rate, when we were brainstorming this event, way back in January, we decided to upset the tradition of the academic event and instead merge the form and content according to our topic, masculinity rather than, according to our roles, academics.

At first we wanted a shebeen, there was a murmur of a museum, then a boxing ring, then a gym, then a sports stadium, then a men's clothing store and off we went to find these places so people could sit in a space where masculine bodies were transformed, maintained, fashioned and ultimately regimented into an acceptable masculine form. We wanted to show the facticities of crafting manhood whilst having a conversation of how masculinities are brought into being.

The idea was grand, its execution was not, as we just could not find the perfect space. We entered a wonderful process of discovery but ease of use for an academic event, not so much what with the chairs and tables that needed to be brought into Green Point stadium, who knew that most 'upmarket' stadiums did not have their own furniture. The arduous bureaucracies that had to be navigated were not quite what we were accustomed to (an engineering plan for a stage, I am just  interested in why people are the way they are and like to hear people talking about it in an exciting space; what do I know about an engineering plan for a stage or a waste management plan or a security plan or a medical plan). 

Redesigning an unconventional space to merge with a traditional academic event was a challenge and nevermind that boxing rings disappear from community halls and one has to drive around to find it, we never did. Or reallising that in black townships community spaces or halls, truly are community spaces and are always busy, they are filled with the sounds of children, and adults accessing the state and in Mitchells Plain we even saw men with AK47s guarding something or other. There isn't the luxury of single-use spaces and the wonder and excitement of unconventional usage. They do have their own furniture though!

If anything the tradition in black under-resourced neighbourhoods is overuse of certain spaces which clearly indicate a lack of infrastructure. However the expectations of providing multiple plans to hire the local gym in Langa by the municipal authorities so stymied me despite having the resources of an organisation behind me, that we decided to look elsewhere. The bureaucracy and its demands, indicate that perhaps there is more need than usage indicates as with less gatekeeping, more people would make use of community spaces. If we found it difficult, how hard is it not for the average resident in Langa to hire the community sporting facility?

Anyway, the hunt for the venue delayed us, so did the wait on marketing and in the end we capitulated and did not merge form and content. Masculinity had to emerge in the conventional academic tradition in the conventional space of the Medical Research Council without the sensory experience of a space men made themselves in. We did bring together people who would not ordinarily have been in the same room, voicing similar concerns, interests and hopes and perhaps the bland backdrop showcased the spectacular and some unconventional connections a lot better than the smell of sweat might have.