Professor hosts lecture with DARTS
SAXONWOLD – A new DARTS lecture on the way, for lovers of the finer things in life.
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Decorative Arts Society (DARTS) is a non-profit society presenting lectures to those who share an interest in fine and decorative arts and associated subjects.
Established in 1983, the lectures have been a community staple for more than 30 years and are currently being held at the Museum of Military History in Saxonwold. The society covers a wide range of topics during their weekly lectures and is not confined to only discussing decorative arts.
On 5 September, Professor Richard Brooksbank from Wits University, will host the weekly lecture on The Story of Ma’s Laces, a book detailing how one woman, Louise Liénaux-Vergauwe, chose to express the trauma of her experiences during the 1914 to 1918 war using a medium that was probably totally unsuited for the expression of such feelings – lace.
It was through this therapeutic process that she was able to create six unique and exquisite pieces of lacework that provided her with a vehicle to express her sadness, anger, and pride.
The Story of Ma’s Laces was written by one of her two children, Yvonne Brooksbank Liénaux and will be told by her grandson, Professor Richard Brooksbank. Fittingly, the professor will discuss her mixed emotions in the face of the German invasion and occupation.
The story talks about her feelings of support for the efforts of the allies to liberate them, and most importantly, her desperation and grief at her four-year separation from her two very young children who had escaped from Belgium and were refugees for the duration of the war.
The School of Physiology associate professor will host two talks on the day in order to make the lecture as accessible as possible to all those interested in hearing the war tale.
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