Assessing the Effect of Fine Art Printmaking Based, HIV/AIDS Posters on the Durban Institute of Technology Community With Specific Reference to the Break the Silence Project

This is an evaluation of Break the Silence, an HIV/AIDS billboard campaign carried out by Art for Humanity (AfH). This public education programme uses artistic images produced by local and international artists on billboards to promote the ‘Break the Silence’ (BtS) slogan about HIV/AIDS dialogue in South Africa. The campaign aims to change people's HIV/AIDS-related behaviour, instilling a sense of "moral ownership" of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South African society through art. The project was designed as a public art initiative with the aim of reproducing the artworks as billboards and posters in public spaces.

The authors describe the objectives of the evaluation as follows:

1. "Evaluate people’s understanding of HIV/AIDS and whether they believe it exists.
2. Assess their feelings about the spread of AIDS in South Africa and the use of Nevirapine.
3. Evaluate factors affecting rate of HIV/AIDS and prevention methods that they use to avoid the infection.
4. Assess their entire perspective and awareness about HIV/AIDS.
5. Find out if they read HIV/AIDS posters and whether the posters are ‘effective’ or not.
   
   • Does the viewer receive information from the poster?
   • If [the above] is true does the viewer retain such information?
6. Evaluate different characteristics of posters such as size, colour, writing, language, message, picture and overall impression.
• Does the viewer engage with the poster?
• Does the viewer identify the various elements that make up the poster?
7. Get people’s suggestions and what they would like to change in the posters.
   
   • Does the viewer have a critical response to the poster?
   • If the above is the case then does the viewer pose an aesthetic response to the poster?

Note. In the context of the poster the emphasis for this evaluation is focused on objectives 5, 6 and 7 as above."

Total sample responses: (104).

• positive responses percentage = 75.92%
• negative responses percentage = 32.24%
• message retained, (moral ownership) = 54.08%

The evaluation was meant to determine to what extent the 'BtS' posters instil a sense of ownership of the pandemic in the population being addressed. By retaining the information, according to one participant’s quote, "It did, it has opened my eyes on a new view of AIDS. Most of us are ignorant and avoid the subject." This suggests that through the posters, the viewer has internalised the information and by doing so has taken ownership of the information.

Moral ownership is also important, according to evaluators, because this "condition" is ultimately recognised within the and by the individual/group itself; more importantly, it is communicated by the group/individual to the "other", i.e. society at large. It was further noted that when ownership is recognised by the individual, that responsibility enables a sense of ownership to be instilled. In this instance, it is indicated that the majority of respondents, 54.08%, retained and took ownership of the information communicated through the posters.

Education campaigns are not necessarily effective, as knowledge does not presuppose the internalisation of the knowledge by either the group or the individual. By internalising (taking moral ownership) of the knowledge, the individual or group assumes the accompanying responsibility towards the knowledge. It is in this instance that art as the vehicle of the information/message remains important.

The researchers conclude that these results indicate that visual art does have a significant role to play in advocacy around social issues. “In this light the present 'Break the Silence' HIV/AIDS campaign should be sustained. Art based initiatives with the intent to create a context in which sustainable actions can be implemented in society to address health issues."

In short, the authors suggest that their research confirms the potential of art as an advocacy medium via which one can contribute to the social and cultural environmental context in which more direct interventions can be used to effect positive change regarding HIV/AIDS and other issues.

To request a copy of the full evaluation, please contact Jan Jordaan at the address listed below.