A Special Arrow Was Shot In The Neck… - KHIO
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Endnotes �. Marcel Mauss, An essay on the gift: the form and reason of exchange in archaic societies, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969 (Reprint) �. Etel Adnan, Seasons, Post-Apollo Press, 2008 gathered through extensive field surveys. Hence, these charts conceive a universal perspective of measures and scales while also paradoxically investing in a picturing of far flung mountains as sedimentary companions. The notion of a ‘world image’—plotted through such highly imaginative composite views—was superseded by territorial projections affirming national sovereignty. And yet, these specu- lative formations of terra firma may serve us today in reading alliances and echoes in a range of artistic positions that propose cartographic acts as modes of resistance and as a re-drawing of boundaries between land, labour and bodily encounter. Across much of continental philosophy and western science, na- ture is treated as ontologically separate from human civilisation and the earth in turn as dead matter, systemically cut off from the organic processes of history-making. The mineralogical sig- nature of desert sands traipsed in the sole of a traveller’s shoe, and the black dust inhaled into a miner’s lung inscribe the inter- penetrative condition of a laboured earth. In these encounters, land refuses to be exploited as mute witness, piercing instead the stratigraphic surface of the body-politic. As Lebanese- American poet Etel Adnan writes, “History doesn’t drive on camels anymore but it’s still eating dust. Communication lines, since, are buried deep under the skin.” � From the intensified time of extraction of the earth surface to the slow time of the planet and its re-composition, this exhibi- tion traverses practices ranging from abstraction located in an archaeological imaginary to geocosmic choreography, from somatic narrations to etchings of a riverbank, hand-made books and rural design. Concluding with research contributions and artists’ notes, A Special Arrow Was Shot In the Neck… attends to high-intensity mining as a limit condition of geography and its image as a negative frontier. Landings (Natasha Ginwala & Vivian Ziherl) As a human endeavour over land, modernity has drawn up the categories by which territory is divided and placed under a con- tract of subjugation. How might the current order of material progress then be infiltrated by the agency of land as a narrative substance? A Special Arrow Was Shot In The Neck… presents the work of art- ists, film-makers, choreographers and poets, as well as archival contributions, plotting relations between landforms, geological events and the rural paradigm, across colonial modernity and amidst the current regime of extractive commerce. While the geographic imperative of capital has transfigured the earth into an algorithmic construct, there is a corresponding attempt to recognise the claims of land as a living archive, as political matter as well as to borrow from French Sociologist, Marcel Mauss—a “total social fact.” � Through an assembly of temporalities that challenge the singular scope of anthropogenic time, this exhibition approaches the earth system through cos- mological diagrams, archaeological fragments, crafts tradition, botanical studies and line drawings that chart the detail and the fold of landforms as aspects of cultural memory. The 1814 chart A Comparative View of the Heights of the Principal Mountains and Other Elevations in the World drafted by Scottish cartographer John Thompson stands as a key point of depar- ture for this exhibition. Its composite view foregrounds a radi- cal effort in assembling peaks from the Eastern and Western hemispheres upon a singular horizon. The chart draws out elevations ranging from the volcanic Chimborazo in Ecuador to the snow-covered Dhaulagiri massif in Nepal. This rare piece is one of the earliest examples of the comparative chart genre, which came to ascendance in the 19th century as lines of travel and trade were drawing a cartographic net around the globe. One of the antecedents to this navigation genre was the nautical survey of coastal elevations in the 18th century. Emerging from such directional aids of maritime trade, the comparative chart is a symptom of the empirical drive that moulded real and imag- ined scalings of geological bodies against the limits of political boundary lines. As a multipurpose image, the comparative chart acts as a visual guide to transcontinental exploration histo- ries—inscribing botanical, mineral and climactic information A Special Arrow Was Shot In The Neck…
Transcript of A Special Arrow Was Shot In The Neck… - KHIO
Endnotes�. MarcelMauss,An essay on the gift: the form and reason of
exchange in archaic societies,Routledge&KeganPaul,1969(Reprint)
�. EtelAdnan,Seasons,Post-ApolloPress,2008
gatheredthroughextensivefieldsurveys.Hence,thesechartsconceiveauniversalperspectiveofmeasuresandscaleswhilealsoparadoxicallyinvestinginapicturingoffarflungmountainsassedimentarycompanions.
Thenotionofa‘worldimage’—plottedthroughsuchhighlyimaginativecompositeviews—wassupersededbyterritorialprojectionsaffirmingnationalsovereignty.Andyet,thesespecu-lativeformationsofterra firmamayserveustodayinreadingalliancesandechoesinarangeofartisticpositionsthatproposecartographicactsasmodesofresistanceandasare-drawingofboundariesbetweenland,labourandbodilyencounter.
Acrossmuchofcontinentalphilosophyandwesternscience,na-tureistreatedasontologicallyseparatefromhumancivilisationandtheearthinturnasdeadmatter,systemicallycutofffromtheorganicprocessesofhistory-making.Themineralogicalsig-natureofdesertsandstraipsedinthesoleofatraveller’sshoe,andtheblackdustinhaledintoaminer’slunginscribetheinter-penetrativeconditionofalabouredearth.Intheseencounters,landrefusestobeexploitedasmutewitness,piercinginsteadthestratigraphicsurfaceofthebody-politic.AsLebanese-AmericanpoetEtelAdnanwrites,“Historydoesn’tdriveoncamelsanymorebutit’sstilleatingdust.Communicationlines,since,areburieddeepundertheskin.”�
Fromtheintensifiedtimeofextractionoftheearthsurfacetotheslowtimeoftheplanetanditsre-composition,thisexhibi-tiontraversespracticesrangingfromabstractionlocatedinanarchaeologicalimaginarytogeocosmicchoreography,fromsomaticnarrationstoetchingsofariverbank,hand-madebooksandruraldesign.Concludingwithresearchcontributionsandartists’notes,A Special Arrow Was Shot In the Neck… attendstohigh-intensityminingasalimitconditionofgeographyanditsimageasanegativefrontier.
Landings(NatashaGinwala&VivianZiherl)
Asahumanendeavouroverland,modernityhasdrawnupthecategoriesbywhichterritoryisdividedandplacedunderacon-tractofsubjugation.Howmightthecurrentorderofmaterialprogressthenbeinfiltratedbytheagencyoflandasanarrativesubstance?
A Special Arrow Was Shot In The Neck…presentstheworkofart-ists,film-makers,choreographersandpoets,aswellasarchivalcontributions,plottingrelationsbetweenlandforms,geologicaleventsandtheruralparadigm,acrosscolonialmodernityandamidstthecurrentregimeofextractivecommerce.Whilethegeographicimperativeofcapitalhastransfiguredtheearthintoanalgorithmicconstruct,thereisacorrespondingattempttorecognisetheclaimsoflandasalivingarchive,aspoliticalmatteraswellastoborrowfromFrenchSociologist,MarcelMauss—a“totalsocialfact.” �Throughanassemblyoftemporalitiesthatchallengethesingularscopeofanthropogenictime,thisexhibitionapproachestheearthsystemthroughcos-mologicaldiagrams,archaeologicalfragments,craftstradition,botanicalstudiesandlinedrawingsthatchartthedetailandthefoldoflandformsasaspectsofculturalmemory.
The1814chartA Comparative View of the Heights of the Principal Mountains and Other Elevations in the WorlddraftedbyScottishcartographerJohnThompsonstandsasakeypointofdepar-tureforthisexhibition.Itscompositeviewforegroundsaradi-caleffortinassemblingpeaksfromtheEasternandWesternhemispheresuponasingularhorizon.
ThechartdrawsoutelevationsrangingfromthevolcanicChimborazoinEcuadortothesnow-coveredDhaulagirimassifinNepal.Thisrarepieceisoneoftheearliestexamplesofthecomparativechartgenre,whichcametoascendanceinthe19thcenturyaslinesoftravelandtradeweredrawingacartographicnetaroundtheglobe.Oneoftheantecedentstothisnavigationgenrewasthenauticalsurveyofcoastalelevationsinthe18thcentury.Emergingfromsuchdirectionalaidsofmaritimetrade,thecomparativechartisasymptomoftheempiricaldrivethatmouldedrealandimag-inedscalingsofgeologicalbodiesagainstthelimitsofpoliticalboundarylines.Asamultipurposeimage,thecomparativechartactsasavisualguidetotranscontinentalexplorationhisto-ries—inscribingbotanical,mineralandclimacticinformation
A Special Arrow Was Shot In The Neck…
andthe1972‘bluemarble’earthimagecapturedbyApollo17.TheEarth Studies departfromthistimeof‘extra-terrestrial’accomplishmentwhileatthesametimedenaturalisationprocesseshadbeguntoovertakethenotionofanypureecology. ThemeticulousEarth Study fabrica-tionsaretheproductofacooperativefamilyeffortthatremainsgroundedinthematerialityofpractice.AschildrenSebastian(1962-)andGeorgiaBoyle(1963-)joinedtheirparents’work,laterbecomingequalaccomplicesintheBoyleFamilyproject.Thetermsofkin-shipandinheritancetherebymarktheEarth Studies’lateralarchaeologyofrawencounter.
ChandralekhaDancer-choreographerChandralekha(1928-2006)wastrainedintheIndianclassicaldanceformBharatanatyamandperformedasanexceptionalsoloistinthe1950s.ShewentontoengagewithancientSanskritandTantrictreatises,traditionalIndiancraftsandarchitec-ture,yogaandmartialartsformssuchasKalaripayattutoconceiveauniquepracticeofmoderndancefromthe1980sonwards.HerearlyworksuchasDevadasi(1961)andNavagraha(1971),withlatergroupproductionssuchasAngika(1985),Lilavati(1989)andPrana(1990)consideredgeometricbalanceandenergyflow,planetarybehaviourandthecomplexitiesofdesire.Sherealisedtheseinvestigationsthroughamulti-dimensionalapproachtomythologicalsymbolism,spiritualityandabstraction. Chandralekha’svisuallexiconin-volvedtheproductionofscreen-printedbooksandposterdesign,aswellasmulti-mediaprojectsandpoetry.Inthe1980ssheproducedhand-madebooksthatareseminalprojectsinthedancer’sworkdealingwithabodypoliticsandaself-conceivedecofeminism,aspartoftheSKILLScollectivewithDashrathPatelinChennai(thenMadras).Thesetraversemotifsoftheautomationoftheseed,themovementoftheelementoffirefromprimodialworshiptomeansofearthdestruction,andavectorpiercingtheabundanceofwildnaturethroughtothemanagednotationoftheenvironmentinleafimpressions. AmongChandralekha’sradicalap-proachestochoreographyliestherefer-encetotheculturalpracticeofKolam—floorpatternsderivedfromsacreddesignthatadornhouseholdcourtyardsandthresholdsinSouthernIndia.Thedancer-choreographercomposedover
Etel AdnanSincethe1960sMountTamalpäishasbeenacompositionalagentandanen-duringpresencewithinthepaintingsofpoet,artistandwriterEtelAdnan (1925-).Themountainiscapturedinswiftlyex-ecutedrenderingsofitsgeologicalbody,permittingavisionbeyondtheborder-logicsofgeographyitself.Itsslowtimestressesanorientationacrossdecadesofgeopoliticalupheavalanditinerantdwelling. Adnanrespondstopoliticalurgencieswithactsofaestheticsolidarity.Hervisualpracticeandherwriting—injour-nalismandpoetry—hasremainedcom-mittedtoculturalreadingsofterrestrialstruggle,inscribingdeepaffinitiesbeyondthelimitsoftranslation.AftertraininginliteratureattheSorbonne,Paris,AdnancommencedpaintingwhileteachinginSanFranciscointhe1950s.There—inresponsetotheongoingAlgerianwarofindependence—shebegantoresistthecolonialimplicationsofwritinginFrenchandshiftedherfocustopaintinginoiloncanvas.MovingbetweenBeirut,ParisandSanFranciscooveranumberofdecades,Adnan’screativeoutputhaslikewisefollowedshiftingitineraries. Alsoincludedinthisexhibition,Adnan’saccordion-foldedleporellos—whichwerecommencedinthe1960s—serveasportableformsthatcapturethecontingenciesoftravel.Thefoldsofpaperactasacompressedlandscapethatalsosurfacesasadeviceofmemoryandthelivedexperienceofplace.
Boyle FamilyKerb Study with Worn Tarmac, Manhole Cover and Coin ispartofBoyleFamily’s ongoing Earth Studies series.Theseworksappeartoapplyascientificmodelofsamplingtopointsontheearth’ssurfaceasthoughassemblinganarchiveofplan-etaryhabitus.Theysuggest‘core-sam-ples’oftheplanet’sskin,inthiscaseitsurbancrust.InpracticeBoyleFamily’smethodologydeployschanceoperations;suchasthrowingacarpenter’ssquareorthrowingdartsatamapblindfolded. TheEarth Studiesstartedin1964amidthedestabilisationsofthecounter-culturalmovement.BoyleFamilyfoundersMarkBoyle(1934–2005)andJoanHills’(1931-)earliestworksincludedlightprojectionswithSoftMachineandJimiHendrix,aswellasperformancesattheICA,London.Thezeitgeiststoodontheeveofthe1969moonlanding
fortynotebooksofKolampatternsthatperformedaskeymotifsfordynamicrelationsbetweenbodilytimeandfloorspaces.Theconnectedmovementbetweenthelineanddothenceinformedthedancer’stemporalpresenceandintricatestageformations.Thisinterestinexperimentsinlinewassharedbyherlong-timecollaboratorandcompanionDashrathPatel,whodocumentedanddevelopedstagedesignformanyofherdanceproductions.
Comparative chartsComparativeCharts ofmountainsandriversemergedinthe19thcenturyasacartographictrend,onenotinaidofnavigationitselfbutratherinsurveyinga‘worldimage’ofmeasuresandempiricallimits.Thesemapsproposearadicalre-shapingofgeographicfeatures,bringingtogetherdisparatelandformsuponasinglepagethroughacompositescaling. AlexandervonHumboldt’sstudyofMountChimborazowithinhisprofileoftheAndesGeographic der Pflanzen in den Tropenlandern, ein Naturgemalde der Anden(1805)isanimportantprecursortothiscartographicgenre.BaseduponhisextensiveexpeditionandstudyoftheChimborazo,Humboldtmappedthemountain’sverticalelevationnot-ingitsmineral,climateandvegetationfeaturesaswellasplottingtheelevationofseveralknownmountainsincludingPopocatepetl,MontBlanc,Vesuvius,andOrizaba.
Thisverticalclusteringofpeakspresentsatranscontinentalcommunitythatbelongstothat‘worldimage’,disavow-ingthescaleimposedbynationsandjurisprudence.Whilesuchcomparativemapsdrewuponthelegacyofmineralelevationchartscommonlyusedinearlyminingaswellasnauticalnavigationchartsofthe18thcentury,theyalsosuggestafuturisticmodeof‘remotesensing’—ofknowingthemountainasaconflatedandimaginedtopographyinthetermsofglobality.
Ganesh HaloiGaneshHaloi(1936-)decades-longartisticpracticeiscomprisedofauniquevocabularyofabstraction,inspiredbytechniquesofmineralandvegetalpigmentapplicationandhandmadepa-permakingpracticedinthewide-rangingtraditionofIndianminiaturepainting.BorninasuburbandistrictofEasternBengalthatisnowpartofBangladesh,HaloicompletedartschoolinKolkata,andjoinedtheArchaeologicalSurveyofIndiasoonafter,asaseniorartistin1957.Oversixyears,hemeticulouslystudiedthecavesandmonasteriesatAjanta,anancientBuddhistsite.Therehepioneeredacomparativereadingofthereligiousiconographyofthecavemuralsandsupplementedthesewithanthropologicalsketchesofcommunitiesindigenoustothearea. ThisexperiencestronglyinformedHaloi’slaterartisticdevelopments,whichcomplicatethegenreoflandscapepaintinginordertoexpressthedynamicrelationsbetweenhumancivilisation,landuse,andthemodernistprojectofarchaeology.Furtherunderpinninghisaestheticlanguagearetheartist’searlymemoriesoftheBrahamaputradeltaregion,rural-urbanmigration,andhistori-caleventssuchasthegenocidalpartitionoftheIndiansubcontinentthatbeganin1947andtheBangladeshLiberationWarof1971.
AlongsidehislongstandingpaintingpracticeHaloihasproducednotebooksofpoetry,sketchbookswithfieldstudiesfromhistoricalsitesacrossIndia,aswellaschildren’sbooks.Here,hisminimalistrenditionsdrawnfromelementalformsofnature—theline,thecurveandthediagonal—exposeakinshipbetweenthehumanandtheanimalworld.
Camille HenrotCamilleHenrotworksacrossmedi-umsoffilm,drawing,sculptureand
animprovisationaldance/narrativeformwhereinmovementandwordsspringspontaneouslyfromacommonsource. InOnion Walk,anonionispermittedtosproutperchedonanemptybottle:“Toobservetheredistributionofweightwhilesproutingandloosingbalance”.Thispotentialtippingoveristheunset-tledpointofworldsinmotionandtherealtaskathand,thenecessitytobecomeconsciousofequilibriumsviabodilypresenceandthroughasociality-in-space.Thismovement-imageisalsoindicativeofthetippingpointoftheearth-bodyandofimprovisationalmodesofperform-ingwithinthatplanetarybelly.
Simryn GillSimrynGill’s(1959-)artisticpracticeoftendealsintherawmatterofplace.Materialresiduesofcertainlocationsaregatheredandorderedaccordingtoself-givenlogics.Againstanyfixednotionoforiginsorstaticdwellingtheyfrequentlyrevealhistoriesofmigration,oftheevery-dayconditionsofglobalcommerceandoftheperennialincursionsoforganicpro-cessesinto‘permanent’humanstructures. GillincreasinglydrawsinspirationfromtheareasurroundingPortDicksonontheMalaysiancoastoftheStraitsofMalacca,oneoftheworld’smostinten-siveshippinglanes.Slowandmeticulousaccumulations—infoundmaterialsandphotographicimages—suggestanattentiveandassociativemethodofre-narratingtheworldfromthisfrayededgeofglobalisation.WithintheexhibitionGillcontributesasetofcubesfashionedfromtermite-claysgatheredaroundPortDickson.Theircoloursannotatetheincessantdigestionanddestructionofdifferentmaterialssuchastrees,concretebuildingsandsoils.Indifferenttotheintegrityofpropertyassuch,thesehand-craftedcubesperformaninverseextrac-tionasblocksofakindofnon-value;perhapsasnotestowardsthewealthoftimeitself. Booksareanever-presentresourceforGill,bothfortheirwordsandasamaterialsubstance.Withintheexhibi-tionmultiplecopiesoftwo20thcenturybooksactassedimentarymarkersofthegeographiesofextractivelabour.Theproneconditionofthehumanbodyandtheearth’ssurfaceareevokedinafield-manualonuraniumprospecting(pub-lishedbytheAustralianAtomicEnergyCommission&DepartmentofNationalDevelopment,1957)anda1936textofMarxistgeographybyJ.F.HorrabintitledThe Opening Up of the World.
Bonita ElyLife is Full of SituationsisanearlypiecewithintheRiverMurrayseriesbyBonitaEly (1946-),anartistrecognisedasaforerunneroffeministandecologicalconcernsinAustralia.Acrossetching,photographyandperformanceElyfrequentlyreturnstotheMurrayDarling—ariversystemthatirrigatesanimmenseagrarianregionintheSouth-EastofAustraliaandwhichfuelledthesettler-colonialnation’seconomyinwoolandcottoncommoditiesthroughthe19thandearly20thcenturies.Nowrec-ognisedasanationalecologicalcrisis—af-flictedbysalinationandalgalblooms—theMurrayDarlingisaheightenedsubjectofstategovernanceandpoliticalattention. Inaseriesofworksinthelate1970s,Elyapproachedthebanksoftheriverasaterrainofself-cartography,wherethefoldofbiography,politicsandplacemeetatawater-line.Life is Full of Situationscompositesfour‘mappings’oftheriver,alternatingbetweenwater’sedgeandtheaerialgaze,eachconveyingaworldofuseandinhabitation.Heretheriver-bankfindsitselfreducedtoanindustrialresource,suchthatitsentireterrainisdeadenedinpursuitoffuelandindeedoffuellinganideaoffuturity.Ely’sowndrawingsfindtheriverasapersonalhorizonwhilealsoconsciouslyaddressingtheembeddedviolenceoflong-drawnhistoriesofsettleroccupation.
Simone FortiRatherthanreplacingonesensationoractionwithanother,SimoneForti (1935-)positionshermaterials—whethertheyareimages,sounds,wordsormove-ments—atopandamongeachother,constantlywillingheraudiencetonoticeitselfnoticing.ThepieceOnion Walkwasproducedin1961,atthetimeofForti’slandmarkDance Constructions,fiveradicalchoreographiesbaseduponimprovisationandchancethatwerefirstpresentedintheNewYorkloftstudioofYokoOno.TheseriesalsoincludedtherenownedchoreographyHuddle,aprecursortodanceimprovisationexperimentsinNewYorkthroughoutthe1960s. Fromtheseearlyminimalistcom-positions,throughanimalstudies,newsanimationsandlandportraits,Fortihasworkedwithaneyetowardscreatingidiomsforexploringnaturalformsandbehaviours.OverthepastfifteenyearsFortihasbeendevelopingLogomotion,
thedoubleabandonmentofdestroyeddwellingsandofthedubiouslegalbattleover‘responsibility’claimedagainstthedestablisationofgas-drillingorofdistantseismicactivity.Theexhibitionalsoin-cludesphotographsofthedisaster-affect-edareatakenbyJumaadiasjournalisticfield-notes,aswellasapoembyJumaadi’scollaboratorTriyantoTriwikromo(1964-)thatconfrontstheerrantmobilityofthesefigureswiththesubjectivestasisofalandscapesubsumedinmud. Jumaadi’sdrawingsoftenoriginateinsociallandscapesdocumentedastravelmemories,shortpoemsanddrawingswithinvisualdiaries.Heretheseimpres-sionsaredistilledwithreferencestothebuffalo-hidecharactersofwayang kulit (shadowpuppetry).Dwellingindifferentlyuponthemaps,thefiguresareapersonifi-cationoftheinversespaceoftheshadow,afieldofprojectionconvenedbytheart-istinredrawingcharactersofterrainandplace.
Hortus Indicus Malabaricus
TheHortus Indicus Malabaricus (GardenofMalabar)wasthemostextensiveatlasofthebotanico-medicalresourcesofSouthAsiapriortothe18thcentury.Itisakeypre-Linneantextofplantclassifica-tionthatwaspublishedinAmsterdambetween1678-1693.The Hortus Indicus Malabaricusisrenownedbothforitsexhaustivescaleandforitsnumerouscopper-plateengravings,detailing742plantswith792specimenimagesacrossthetwelvevolumes.Partofthecolonialscientificproductionofaglobalknowl-edge,theseillustrationsofferamulti-lingualtreatiseannotatedinMalayalam,Konkani,Sanskrit,LatinandArabic ThebookwasconceivedbyHendrikvanRheede(1636-1691),theGovenorofDutchMalabarhavingoustedthePortugesefromCochin.Uniquelyforhistime,VanRheedeupheldindigenousMalibarischolarshipandthefirstvolumeincludeshand-writtentestimonialsinscribedbyanumberoflocalphysi-ciansandscholars.IttyAchudem,oftheancientKollattfamilyoftraditionalEzhava AyurvedicpractitionersofKerala,isplacedfirstamongthese.UnlikethefollowingBrahminscholars,Achudemcitesanancestralpalm-leaftext,thewhereaboutsofwhichisnowunknown. TheimagesofThe Hortus Indicus Malabaricus periodicallybreakfromtheconventionofbotanicalstudiestodepicttableauxwithhumanfiguresandplantsingraphicjuxtapositionsofscaleand
throughdistanttradeandmigration.Witharuthlessterritorialcunningtheirstatelesspoliticalstructures—formedthroughthetreacherousconditionsofthearchipelago—continuedtogovernsocialdynamicsbeneaththegraspofcolonialgovernance.
Empires of Profiteers and their Glorious Ventures isproducedonBatik,atechniqueoffabricdesignthroughdyepattern-ingthatwastradedinsarong-lengthsforgoodssuchasspices,medicinesandslaves.Thetextileincludedintheexhibi-tionisasari-length,ameasurepointingtoapre-nationaltierofcommercebetweentheMalayPeninsulaandSouthAsia,andtoabodypoliticofcirculatoryrelations.
JumaadiThroughdrawing,paintingandperfor-manceJumaadi(1973-)craftsanevolvingitineraryofsolitarycharactersnavigat-ingtheterritorialandjuridicalshadowofanun-naturaldisaster.Thegriddedworldofnation-statesistraversedbythesewanderingpersonaewhosetask—asthoughinmyth—istobeartheburdenofgeographyasitselfanongoingprocessofdisplacementandofre-drawnlinesofcontrol.
The End of Geography and the Beginning of LineandThe Beehive Seriesarewithinabodyofworkthatdepartsfroma2006mud-volcanodisasterthatcausedmassdisplacementandtheinundationofvil-lagesandfarmsinJumaadi’sbirthtownofSidoarjo,EastJava.Thefigurestraverse
architecturaldisplay,oftenincombina-tion,byperformingasakindofanalogueeditordrawinguponmaterialsfromscientific,archaeological,popularcultureandcosmologicalspheres.Theartisthasdescribedherworkingmethodas“aformofpersonalanthropology”,throughwhichsheobservesthemigrationofformsacrossknowledgestructuresaswellasmythologicalcircuitsthatanimatetheworld’scoming-into-being. HenrotbeganherfilmCynopolis (2009)whileontravelsinEgyptabouttwoyearsbeforethestartoftherevolu-tion,consideringtheimpactofWesterntravelliteratureontheregion,suchasGustaveFlaubert’sVoyage en Egypte(1951).Strivingtoinfiltratetheviewofaroman-ticisedand‘eternal’Egypt,theartistpre-sentscompositesceneswherestraydogs,rubbishdumps,rag-pickersandtouristsinterweavewiththeoldestcompletestonebuildingknowntohumankind,theSaqqarasteppyramidofDjoser. Shoton8mmandtransferredtovideo,thedogappearsasakeyinter-mediary.Anubis—theancientEgyptiangodofdeath,oftheunderworldandofembalming—tooktheformofadog.ThetomboftheOldKingdomiswatchedoverbythemythiccanineasperhapsthesestructuresmayhavethemselvesbeenfirstdevelopedtoprotectcorpsesfromforagingdogs.Theimpossibilityofknowinghauntsthepersistentactionsofhumanandanimalinteractionthroughanarchaeologyofrubble.Theemblematicnotationofthescavengeremergeshereasanarratoroffragments,revealinghistoryasaby-productoferosionamongplaceandterrain,betweenancient,geocosmicandcontingenttimes.
Yee I-LaanEmpires of Profiteers and Their Glorious VenturesisaworkwithintheOrang Besar seriesofartistYeeI-Laan (1971-),livingandworkinginKualaLumpur.TheseworksaresetontheseasoftheSoutheastAsianarchipelago,whichservesasamaterialguidetohistoriesofde-colonialresistance.Thissea-territorysustainedamaritimetrafficthatbroughtforthacon-testationbetweenthecommercialdesiresofprofiteersandtheinsularborder-poli-ticsofthenation.Theseaemergesasbothacorridorofexchangeandasaporouszoneforafloatingcitizenrythatmaynar-rateitselfastheebbandflowofatide. TheOrang Besar werethehenchmenandprivateersoftheSultans.Theydictat-edpoliticalandeconomicstructuresthathadcentrifugalandcentripetaldynamics
betweendocumentaryandpersonallycraftedallegory. Thelossofancestrallandstotheminingcorporation,distressedmigra-tionfromthevillagetothecity,andthetechnologisationoflabour‘belowground’areoftengivenshapethroughcharcoalmuralsthatstressamaterialnarrationdeployingtheblackmatterthatistheultimateresidueofexcavationaswellasthefueltoimagineotherwise.Thechim-neyofadefuncttextilemill,thesafetylightofaminer’shardhatilluminatingashadowyfigureandtheworkerwhoseheadhasmorphedintoadiggingtooldwelltogetherasascenographyofsurrealavatars.
Inhisnewsite-specificworkonthisexhibition,Land Escape,Pachputefurtherconsidersthedestructionofarablelands.Herecoalispersonifiedinabsurdfiguresscurryingacrossthelandscape.Havingwitnessedcatastrophicfarmer’ssuicidesintheVidarbharegionofWesternIndia,Pachputereflectsuponthehomicideoflanditself,itscharredandscavengedbodyrefusingtoperformasstablehorizon.
Dashrath PatelDashrathPatel(1927-2010)wasapainter,ceramist,designer,architectandphotog-rapherwhocontinuedtore-inventhimselftoconceiveahighlydiverseoeuvrethatmaybeunderstoodasaGesamtkunstwerk,andwhosevisionhasbeeninstrumentalinshapingdesigneducationinIndia.Patel’sartisticpracticeevolvedthroughnarrativeandimpressionistpaintingsinthefiftieswhenhewascloselyassociatedwithIndianpainterssuchasTyebMehta,M.F.HusainandV.S.GaitondeatstudiosoftheBhulabhaiDesaiMemorialTrust(Mumbai,thenBombay),aswellasduringhisyearsofstudyattheCollegeofArts,Madras,theÉcoledesBeaux-Arts,ParisandintheArtCeramicsdepartmentinPrague.Latermovingintoabstractionviaexperimentswiththelineandmixmediacollages,Pateldrewfrommotifsofpopularculture,modernistandsacred
AspartoftheirsocialandpoliticalcommitmentsSelmaandSofianeestab-lishedthePopular Spaces Art Factories inSejnane—northwestTunisia—withagroupofsixtywomenpotters.Whilesupportingsocialcohesioninordertogroundacollectivepractice,SelmaandSofianestayedseveraltimeswithinthecommunityandcontributedtotheconstructionofapermanentspacetohosttheircollectiveefforts.Hereclayispoundedandmouldedwhilechild-careandkitchenrolesareintegratedpartsofproduction.Theancestralknowledgeandskillofthepotteryistransmittedfrommothertodaughterandisbasedonresourcesavailabletohand.
Fromtheirongoingobservations,workingrelationsanddiscussion,SelmaandSofianedevelopedachoreographicrepertoirebasedupontherepetitivegesturescarriedoutbythewomeninartisticproductionandeverydaylabour.Thegesturesindexsocialrelationsandsharedunderstandings,aswellasthedesireforbettermentasapotentialwithintheworkofart-makingitself.SetintheheartofSejnanethefilmspeakstothecommittedrelationsbetweenSelma,Sofianeandthegroup.Inadditiontotheseintersectinglivesthevideopointstothe‘hand-making’oflandrelationsintheruralsetting,encounteredhereasasiteofpoetic-politicallabourpriortoandthroughthetransitionofnationalrevolution.
Prabhakar PachputePrabhakarPachpute’s(1986-)artisticpracticeforegroundsthecrossingbe-tweenagrarianhistory,landpolitics,rurallabourandtheextractionindustry.Bornintoafamilywithathree-generationhis-toryasminersinChandrapur,WesternIndia,Pachputehasdrawnoutcomplexlinkagesthatplacethemineralsedimentatthecoreofindividualandcollectivehistory.Throughsculpture,stop-motionanimation,drawingandinstallationtheartistprojectsimagesthatliesomewhere
relation.VolumethreeopenswithatablethatfeaturesaEuropeanfigure,specu-latedtobevanReede,indialoguewithaSouthIndianfigure,bothovershadowedbyatoweringfrondofcodda-panapalm.Theirspecimendrawingsvergetowardstheabstractionoftheline.Theyrenderplantandhumanbodiesinsuspendedrelationsbetween‘native’and‘nature’.Echoingthepagesofthelostpalm-leaftext,theimagesremainontheedgeofapocrypha.
The Otolith GroupMedium EarthisafilmbyTheOtolithGroup thatattunesitselftotheseismicpsycheofthestateofCalifornia.Itlistenstoitsdeserts,translatesthewritingofitsstones,anddeciphersthecalligraphiesofitsexpansioncracks.Itsintensivesurfacereadingsofferthecinematicsurveyofatectonicupheavaltocome. Withinthisvolatilepresent,Californian‘earthquakesensitives’ariseascorporealinstrumentsofpremoni-tion,predictionandpre-emption.Theirbodiesareinradicalcollusionwiththegeo-tectoniceventsphere.Theydecodeasymptomatologythatconfusescorporealandchronologicaltime,withtheglobalarchitectureoftechno-industrialearthsensing. FoundedbyAnjalikaSagarandKodwoEshunin2002,TheOtolithGrouphasgrownasacollaborativeplatformthatseekstorethinkthedynamicsofculturalproductionunderconditionsofacceler-ated,unstableandprecariousglobalconditions.Foroveradecade,theGrouphaveexploredthemovingimage,thesonicandtheaural,andaspectsofvarioussciencefictionswithinthegallery.Theirworkinparticularhasfocusedontheessayfilmasanexpandedformthatseekstoinhabiteventsandhistoriesthatinformourpresentandfuture.CommissionedbyREDCAT,LosAngeles, Medium EarthisthefirstworkproducedbyTheOtolithGroupwithinanAmericancontext.
Selma and Sofiane Ouissi
TherelationshipofhandandclaybindsthemultiplelivesofLaaroussa,anancientfertilitysymbol,aclaydoll,aruralecono-my,achoreographicscore,andabondingestureandlabour.Laaroussaisthecentreofaprojectestablishedin2010bydancer,choreographersandfilm-makersSelmaandSofianeOussi(1975-and1972-).
between1664and1678.Amajorcon-tributiontoasciencesoftheearthbyGermanJesuitpolymathAthanasiusKircher(1609-1680),itsrichlyillustratedpagesproposedaradicallyconceived‘geocosm’ofsubterraneancreaturesandgeothermicmonstrosities,aswellasthefirstdocumentedconceptionofanor-ganicsourceofseismicandvolcanicactiv-itythroughinternalfiresandconvulsivesubterraneanchambers. KircherhadbeenascholarattheCollegio Romano,afulcrumofearlymodernscience,wherehisvastoutputspannedmusic,astronomy,archaeol-ogy,magnetism,mechanicsandgeology,twelveEuropeanandOrientallanguagesandtranslationofAncientEgyptianhi-eroglyphics.Kircher’sdecipheringoftheearth’s‘secrets’reportedontheremainsofcave-dwellinggiants,aswellashiddenandoccultpassageswithintheocean’sdepths.Intwoglobecross-sections(includedinVolumeIII)Kircherexposedthenotionofacavernousearthinteriorchannelingfireandwatertoitssurfacethroughanetworkoffissures.Aplanetarysystem—withabloodoffire—proposesacorporealcirculationakintothephysi-ologicaldiscoveriesofWilliamHarvey(1578-1657)andperhapsaseismicallyattunedprecursortotheGaiahypothesisofJamesLovelock(1919-). Inoneofthefirstinstancesofgeo-logicalfieldwork,theundergroundglobeofMundus SubterraneanuswasinfluencedbyextensivetravelthroughoutthevolcanicregionsofsouthernItaly.TheshatteringimpactofKircher’sexperi-enceofearthquakeinCalabria(1638)wasbackgroundedbythegeopoliticalcrisisanddisplacementofthe30YearsWarinhisnativeGermany.
EPILOGUE:ExTrACTIOn
Angela Melitopoulos and Angela Anderson
Thecontributionofartist,film-makersandactivistsAngelaMelitopoulosandAngelaAndersonalludestothepopular18thcenturymelodicstorytellingformofthemoritat(cantastoria),allegoricallyin-toningthedevastatedmoralconditionofgoldminingwithintheGreekdebtcrisis.Thispicturestoryportraystheanti-productivevaluesystemofopen-pitgoldmininginHalkidiki,Greece,asastoryoftheft—ofgold,water,andothernaturalresources.Hereforestsareasphyxiated
convergetorendertheriverasavitalcharacterinculturallife.Theseimages,someofthemaerialstudies,wereconsid-eredbyPatelasthecapturingof“ariverofhappenings”andmadeinthecompanyofCartier-Bresson,whosearchivealsoin-cludesaportfoliooftheSabarmati.WiththewaningofthetextileindustryandtherapidurbanizationofAhmedabadcity,thisriverhasbeendammedandheavilymanagedtosuccumbtotheblueprintofastate-ledbeautificationcommittee. AlsoseenhereistheextensivecraftsdocumentationcarriedoutbyPatelintheMithilaregionofBiharfocusingonthetraditionalstyleofMadhubanipaintinginthe1960s.Theserareimagesrevealthelivesofruralartisansandthedomesticsettingofthiscraftformonthewallandfloorspacesofmudhomesaspartofritualandfestivepurposes.Insubsequentyears,thewomenartistswerecoaxedtotransfertheirpracticeontopaperandtoreplacetheuseofnaturalpigmentwithcommercialpaintsbytheIndianculturalbureaucracyandrisinginternationalin-terests.WiththeinundationofseveralvillageswhereMadhubaniartistslived,resultingfromanembankmentprojectalongtheKosiRiverinNorthernBihar,thecommercialcirculationshavefurtherreplacedmuchoftheoriginalpracticeandtechniqueofMithilapainting.
rural Design School at Sewapuri
From1981,PatellefttheNationalSchoolofDesignandbecameinvolvedwiththeSaghanKhsetraVikasSamiti,aruralde-signunitbasedonGandhianprinciplesofvillagedevelopmentandself-sufficiency,locatedinSewapuri,NorthernIndia.Thereheinitiatedaruraldesignschooltore-vitalizetheworkprocesses,laboursafety,lowercostsandincreasedistribu-tionofcraftsproductsinleatherware,ceramics,woodenware,andvegetabledyedKhadi(handspuncloth)textiles. Throughthe1980s,Patelwasalsoin-volvedwiththeSKILLScollectiveofart-istsandmediaactivistsinChennai(thenMadras),extensivelydevelopingprintingtechniques,workshopsandgraphiccom-municationforpeople’smovementsandstreetcampaignscontestingissuesaroundgenderandecologicalconcernsaswellascastepolitics.Thedancer-choreographer,Chandralekhawasalsoavitalmemberofthiscollective.
Mundus SubterraneusMundusSubterraneuswasanencyclo-paedicmanuscriptofthe‘undergroundworld’publishedintwelvevolumes
architectureaswellascraftstraditionstocreateessentialdesignformsandhapticimages.
ThousandsofPatel’slinedrawingshaverecentlybeencompiledandpublishedbyculturalcriticandarchivist,SadanandMenon.Henotes:“Theconstantflowoflinesthroughmusings,meetings,discus-sionsandplanningsessions,dayafterdayoverfivedecades,washissubstituteforwords,diaries,memorysticksanddatabanks.ItwasthewayDashraththoughtandremembered.”
Design Education and Exhibition Design
TheNationalInstituteofDesign(Ahmedabad)waslauncheduponrecom-mendationofThe India Report(1958)byAmericandesignersCharlesandRayEamesin1961,andthecommittedsupportofindustrialistsGautamandGiraSarabhai.Patelbecameafoun-dationalfigureattheinstitute,settingupdepartmentsandcurriculainVisualCommunication,Ceramics,PhotographyandExhibitionDesign,aswellasincriti-callylinkingthestructuralpositionoftheschooltowiderculturesofdesignanditssocietalrelevance.Duringhisinstitutionaltenure,Patelconceptualizedlarge-scaleexhibitions,museumdesignandinterna-tionalfestivalsshowcasingpost-independ-enceNehruvianIndiasuchastheIndiapavilionatNewYorkWorld’sFair(1964)andthe‘FestivalofIndia’inParis(1985)andinformerUSSR(1987).
Photography
DashrathPateltookupphotographyundertheinfluenceofeminentphotogra-pherandhisfriendHenriCartier-Bressoninthelate1950s.Earlylens-basedworksconsistofdocumentationofindustrialdesignanddesignprocesses,culturallife,andthecity. TheexhibitionpresentsPatel’sphotographyseriesoftheSabarmatiRiverfromthe1960s—dyedtextilesdryontheriverfront,theSundaymarketunfolds,make-shiftdwellingsandlabourprocesses
theGreatBarrierReefecologywithinworldheritageprotectedzonings.Sincethedeathofherfatherin2010shehasbecomeinterestedinthespeculativelinguisticsanddistanciating,standardisingandanonymizingmechanismsthatlinkminingandcontainerculturetomaterialpoetries. O’Reilly’sresearchprojectThe Gas Imaginary(2012-),positsthemineitselfasakindofpaternity—materialattachment,symboliceconomyandcipher—chan-nelingmemoryandpath-dependentwill,productiveandreproductivedrives.Acrosspoetry,installationandpublicationformatssherespondstofracking’sexcep-tionallegalformsandnorms,alongsidetheindustries’ownduplicitousrationalityandaestheticcomposure,fromwhichthemainformofdefencefromdispossessionhasbeenahistoricsurfaceinscriptionsofsettlercolonialpropertyrights. iteration #2isacollaborationwithPa.La.Ce(ValleMedinaandBenjaminReynolds)andRodrigoHernandezthatdiagramstheloveplotsanddebtdrivesofthegas’avantgardism.AcrossAustralia,theabsenceoftheundergroundminingbodyinfrackingisprecursoredincoal’slatetransnationalexportationwiththedragline.Differentviewpointsfocaliseantinomieskeytothedoublenegativeofdivestment.
Stereoscopic Views of the California
Gold rush
Withtheadventofphotography,thepracticeofStereoscopyfacilitatedadi-mensionalviewuponimages,throughanarguablysimpleproto-animationdevicecalledtheStereoscope.Describedas‘generalpanoramasoftheworld,’stereo-graphicimagesdeliveredvisualimpres-sionsthattranscendedthelimitsofthephotographicapparatus.Theywereusedextensivelytodocumentmajorinfrastruc-turalandexploratorydevelopmentsofthe19thandearly20thcenturies. Inastrangehistoricalcoincidence,theBrewsterStereoscope,whichgreatlyenhancedthespreadofstereophotog-raphy,wasinventedin1849,thesameyeartheGold-seekerscalledtheForty-Niners—immigratedtoCaliforniafromacrosstheworlduponhearingofJamesW.Marshall’sdiscoveryofagoldnuggetintheAmericanRiver,whilehewasconstructingasawmillforaSacramentoagriculturalist.Theseearlystereographicviewsofferaghostlyacousticimageofextractionthroughtheimagingof
studentofAgronomywhowouldbecomearenownedrevolutionarythinkerandleaderoftheindependencemovementofGuineaBissau.Césartracestheradicali-sationofCabral’sthoughtintoageopoet-icsofinsurgencythroughhissoilerosionstudiesinAlentejo.AsCabralgatheredpoliticalsupportacrossthecountrysidewhilecarryingoutagronomicstudiesforthePortugueseadministration,themate-rialnarrativesofruralsoilconflatewiththegroundsofcolonialgovernance.
De re MetallicaGeorgBauer(GeorgiusAgricola)isconsideredafoundingfigureofgeologyasascientificdiscipline.Hisworkpavedthewayforfurthersystematicstudyoftheearth—itsrocks,mineralsandfossils.Agricolamadefundamentalcontribu-tionstoMining,GeologyandMetallurgy,Mineralogy,StructuralGeologyandPaleontology. Agricola’sDe Re Metallica (OntheNatureofMetals),publishedin1556,re-viewedallmattersthenknownregardingmining,includingequipmentandmachin-ery,meansoffindingores—herejectedtheuseofdivining-rodsandothersuchmagicalmeans,methodsofsurveyinganddigging,assayingores,smelting,mineadministrationandeventheoccupationaldiseasesofminers.Agricolanotedthatrockswerelaiddownindefinitelayers,orstrata,andthattheselayersoccurredinaconsistentorderandcouldbetracedoverawidearea.Thisobservationwasoneofthefirstcontributionstostratigraphicgeology,andonethatwouldbecomecriti-calinunderstandingthearrangementandoriginsoftherocksoftheearth. De Re Metallicawasextensivelyillus-trated,presentinginterrelateddiagramsoflandsurface,extractivetechnologyandlabourformation.ThefirstEnglishtrans-lationofDe Re Metallicawaspublishedin1912bysubscriptioninThe Mining Magazine(London).ThetranslatorswereHerbertHoover,miningengineerand31stPresidentoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica,andhiswifeLouHenryHoover,ageologistandLatinist.
rachel O’reillyWriter,poet,curatorandcriticRachelO’ReilleywasborninGladstone,Queensland,akeyindustrialharbourexportingAustralia’smineralwealth,mostrecentlythe‘unconventional’(fracked)gasboomacceleratingdeath-threatsto
withfinedustcastoutbyextractiontechnologiesthatpursueformerlyunprof-itablegoldseams.Thepulverizationofearthbodiesisthereforeamirrorfiguretotheabstractionoftheshareholderasanage-oldsocialandecologicalsystemdisruptedinthesearchfor‘value’duringthecollapseofbothafinancialorderandofstategovernance. Agoldringandapotato—sourcedfromacooperativefarmingprojectinthevillageofMegaliPanagia—aremarkersofashatteredsocialcontractandofatem-poralrupturewithitspromiseoffuturity.Theheapofsoilresidesasthefleshofearth,whichundergoesaschism—ashat-teringwhilealsobeingtheassimilationoftherareelementandthevegetal,thehumanimprintandtheremainderofapost-prospectingpresent. Whatthenseparateslivingsoilfromdeadearth?Thisimageperformsasamaterialcollage,intermsofproducingaspacewheresurfacesmeetsurfacesinattemptingtowrestlewiththequestionoftheelementalorderoflifeanddeath,betweenpulverisationandnarrativeemergence. TheaccompanyingvideoUnearthing Disaster narratestheprofit-motiveofcatastrophe,wheredemocraticstructuresarereplacedbyarepressivesecurityap-paratus.Herethelossofsocialmemoryremainstiedtothelossofrecognitionoftheland.
Filipa CésarFilipaCésar(1975-)contributesaseriesofvisualnotesandsoundrecordingsthatdrawuponherongoingresearchacrossdecolonialhistoriesandmilitantfilm,theirgeologicalcontingencyandbearingonpresent-dayneocoloniallandrelations.Thisassemblageofmaps,film-stillsandsoundarenotationstowardsCésar’sforthcomingMined Soil—aprojectthattakesauralandfilmicmeasureoftheAlentejoregioninPortugalasitissubjecttointensiveverticaldrillingfortracesofdeepgoldmineralization. Filmedwithintheunstabletimeof‘prospection’,Mined Soil shiftsacrosstemporalregisterstolayercurrentlandexploitation,withtheregion’shistoryasanimperialandmercantilecrossroad,andtheslowtimeofgeologyitself.Inherfilm,Césarproposesthemicrophoneasasuspendedgeophone,probingtheearth’sunderbellyasasonorousfrontier. Alentejoisasubjectofthelegalexceptionsandmaterialimpactsof‘ExperimentalMiningLeases’grantedinnorthernPortugalfollowingtheeco-nomiccrisisof2008.In1952theregionwasalsosurveyedbyAmílcarCabral—a
high-pressurepipelinescoursingthroughtheCalifornianterrainthatcametobecalled‘TheGoldMountain.’ Theselectionincludesastereo-graphicphotographmadebyCarletonE.Watkins,oneofthegreatestphotogra-phersoftheAmericanlandscape,andparticularlyoftheCalifornianfrontierduringtheGoldRush.Hemadeaspecialstereoscopiccamera,andonatleastoneoccasioncapturedhimselfwithit,posingasa‘primitive’miner.Itwasaself-por-traithemadeforhischildren,mostlikelyaperformativesign,bothofhistimesandoftheinextricabilityoftheminefromhislifeinphotography.
DrAF
DavidRobertsArtFoundation(DRAF)isanindependent,non-profitfounda-tionfoundedin2007.ItisdirectedandcuratedbyVincentHonoré.DRAFdevelopsaninternationalprogrammeofcontemporaryartexhibitions,commis-sionsandliveevents.
TheDavidRobertsArtFoundationLimitedisaregisteredcharityinEnglandandWales(Nº�������)andacom-panylimitedbyguaranteeregisteredinEnglandandWales(Nº�������)at�thFloorAdamHouse,�FitzroySquare,London,W�T�HE.Itisproudlysup-portedbytheEdinburghHouseEstatesgroupofcompanies.
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SymesMews��CamdenHighStLondon,NW��JE
[email protected]+��(�)����������www.davidrobertsartfoundation.com
ThenearesttubestationsareMorningtonCrescentandCamdenTown.
DRAFisa15minutewalkfromKingsCrossSt.Pancras.Busses:��,��,��,��,���,��8,���,���
Opening timesThurs–Sat,��–�pmTues&WedbyappointmentFree admission
A Special Arrow Was Shot in the Neck...iscuratedbyVivianZiherlandNatashaGinwala.ItwasproducedatDRAFbyNicolettaLambertucci,withRachelCassandBenedictGoodwin,assistedbySooanneBerner,FrancescoGorni,HarryLawson,SofiaLemos,MaiteMarcianoandAlexRoberts.GraphicdesignforprintedmatterbyPaulGangloff.PrintedbyPureprint.
DrAF Curators’ Seriessupportsinternationalcuratorsbycommissioningspecialresearch-basedprojects,consid-eringthecuratorasanauthor.FormerparticipantsincludeCylenaSimonds(��),RaimundasMalasauskas(Lithuania),MihneaMircan(Romania),MathieuCopeland(��),SimoneMenegoiandChrisSharp(Italyand��)andPabloLeondelaBarra(Mexico).NatashaGinwala(India)andVivianZiherl(Australia)aretheseventhcuratorsintheseries.
Curators’ SeriesissupportedbyArtsCouncil,England.
July at DrAF
AfrikadaaisTheBody:ALiveEditorialSaturday�July,�pm,free.Performancesanddiscussionincelebra-tionofthelaunchofCorps Medium,issue�ofAfrikadaa,thebi-lingualonlinereviewofAfrodesignandcontemporaryarts. TheOtolithGroup,Medium Earth(2013,UK.��min)Tuesday��July,�.��pmatRioCinema,Dalston,free.OffsitescreeningofTheOtolithGroup’sMedium Earth,whichexplorestheseismicpsycheofCalifornia.
EPILOGUE:EXTRACTION
Angela Melitopoulos And Angela AndersonUnearthing Disaster 2014InstallationShattered glass plateWedding ring caseSoil, from Halkidiki, GreecePotato, from cooperative farming project, Megali Panagia, Halkidiki, GreeceSatellite image of the Skouries gold mine Halkidiki, GreecePhotograph of plants covered with pul-verized earth alongside a mining road in the Skouries forest, Halkidiki, GreeceVideo, HD 29 min
All materials courtesy of the artists
Filipa CésarMined soil
Map of soil / map of erosion Cuba, Alentejo, Portugal inAmílcar Cabral, Estudos Agrários de Amílcar Cabral; Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisboa e Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisa, Bissau; 1988, Lisboa/Bissau
Geological map of Guinea Bissau inA. J. da Silva Teoxeora, Os Solos da Guiné Portuguesa, Junta de Investigações do Ultramar
Stills from footage shot at the gold min-ing site Boa Fé, PortugalNovember 2014
Excerpt from the soundtrack Mined Soil, 2014
All materials courtesy of the artist
De Re MetallicaGeorgius Agricola1556Publisher H. Froben and N. Bischoff, BasleFolio 154: A—Axels. B—Levers. C—Toothed drum. D—Drum made of rundles. E—Drum in which iron claws are fixed. Folio 171: A—Descending into the shaft by ladders. B—By sitting on a stick. C—By sitting on dirt. D—Descending by steps cut in the rock.
Images courtesy of the Wellcome Library, London
Rachel O’ReillyThe Gas Imaginary, iteration #2, with Rodrigo Hernandez and Pa.La.cE (Valle Medina and Benjamin Reynolds)2014Riso on paper, ink, pencil
Courtesy of Rachel O’Reilly
Stereoscopic Views of the California Gold RushPhotographer UnknownPlacer Mining, Brown’s Flat, Tuolumne County1863–1868stereographic photograph (facsimile edition)Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photographer UnknownPlacer Mining, Panning Out1865–1876stereographic photograph (facsimile edition)Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Carleton E WatkinsPrimitive Mining, the Old Rocker. C.E. Watkins Posing as Miner1880stereographic photograph (facsimile edition)Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Etel AdnanUntitled2004Ink on paper17.8 × 25.4 cm
UntitledCirca 2000Oil on canvas22.9 × 30.5 cm
UntitledCirca 2000Oil on canvas22.9 × 30.5 cm
All works courtesy of the artist and Callicoon Fine Arts, New York
The Curators would like to thank the Founder, Director and staff of DRAF for their commitment, collaboration and support in realising the exhibition, as well as the following individuals for their invaluable help and inspiration: Defne Ayas, Anke Bangma, Hendrik Folkerts, Gabrielle Schleipen, Margarida Mendes, Fernando Garcia Dory, Qinyi Lim, Rene Ridgeway, Rosalind Morris, Elizabeth Povinelli, Denise Ferriera da Silva.
The Founder, the Board of Trustees and the Director of DRAF as well as the Curators would like to thank the artists and their galleries for their trust and com-mitment, and the following individuals, galleries and institutions whose invaluable help made this exhibition possible:
Etel Adnan Simone Fattal Callicoon Fine Arts (Photios Giovanis) Jesi KhadiviBoyle Family Georgia Boyle, Mark Boyle, Joan HillsFilipa César Nuno da LuzChandralekhaSadanand Menon Bonita Ely Milani Gallery, Brisbane (Josh Milani)Simone Forti LA Box Gallery (Jacqueleine Tarquinio)Simryn Gill Jane EylesGanesh Haloi Akar Prakar Art, Kolkata (Reena Lath)Camille Henrot Marie Heilich Galerie Kamel Mennour (Pierre-Maël Dalle)Yee I-LannJuma-adiSiobhan Campbell
Angela Melitopoulos and Angela Anderson The Otolith Group(Kodwo Eshun and Anjalika Sagar)Yunjoo KwakHannah LilleyLUX Artists’ Moving ImageRio Cinema Selma and Sofiane Ouissi Dhouha Bokri L’Art Rue AssociationPrabhakar Pachpute Experimenter Gallery Kolkata (Prateek Raja, Priyanka Raja)British Council Clark House Initiative Dashrath Patel Sadanand Menon Rachel O’ReillyRodrigo Hernandez Pa.La.Ce (Benjamin Reynolds and Valle Medina) The Map House, LondonPhillip Curtis The Wellcome Library, London Crestina Forcina
ChandralekhaPostcards: Kriti – Women’s Workshop of Creative Expression1983Screen-printed postcardsPublisher: SKILLS, Madras
One More News1987Screen-printed bookPublisher: SKILLS, Madras
Navagraha (production photographs)1971 Conceived and choreographed: Chandralekha Dancers: Chandralekha and KamadevPhotography: Dashrath Patel
Navagraha (production booklet)1971Conceived and choreographed: Chandralekha Dancers: Chandralekha and Kamadev
Leaves1981 (facsimile edition, 2014)Hand produced bookPublisher: SKILLS, Madras
Fire Counter-Fire1983Custom printed and bound bookPublisher: SKILLS, Madras
Audio recordings compilation1990s and 2000sEdited audio, various sources: Television interview on the production Lilavati (1990), documentary on the production Sharira by Ein Lall (2003), interview with Sadanand Menon, last given, March 2006.Digital audio, 34 min 10 sec
All materials courtesy of Sadanand Menon and the Chandralekha Archive, SPACES, Chennai
Comparative Charts
J.T.ThomsonA Comparative View of the Heights of the Principal Mountains181463.5 × 50.8 cm
Joseph MeyerGeological and Biological Survey184558.42 × 20.32 cm
Augustus MitchellLengths of the Principle Rivers of the World184633.02 × 40.64 cm
All maps courtesy of The Map House, London
Bonita ElyLife is Full of Situations1978Etching, six plates104 × 73.6 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane
Simone FortiOnion Walk1961 (2014)Glass bottle, sprouting onion
Courtesy of the artist and LA Box gallery, Los Angeles
Simryn GillNotations on value
Cubes made from clay taken from various termite mounds in the vicinity of the artist’s studio in Port Dickson, Malaysia, 2014
Ten copies of James F Horrabin, The Opening Up of the World… With 45 Maps, (1936, Methuen: London), from the art-ist’s personal collection
Four copies of Prospecting and Mining for Uranium in Australia: Notes for the Guidance of Prospectors, (Australian Atomic Energy Commission & Department of National Development, 1957) from the artist’s personal collection
All materials courtesy of the artist
Ganesh HaloiUntitled2009Gouache on paper17 × 26 cm
Untitled2007Gouache on paper29 × 39 cm
Untitled2006Gouache on paper25 × 35 cm
Untitled2006Gouache on paper27 × 35 cm
Untitled2007Gouache on paper18 × 25 cm
Untitled 2012Gouache on paper27 × 35 cm
Frogs and a Snake1995BookSaraswati Art Printers, Delhi
Chalte Chalte (On the Way Home)2005BookSaraswati Art Printers, Delhi
Untitled2014Watercolour on paper, series of eight17 × 17 cm
All works courtesy of the artist and Akar Prakar, Kolkata
Camille HenrotCynopolis 2007–2009Video Super 8 film and DVDCAM�� min
Courtesy the artist and Kamel Mennour, Paris
Yee I-Laan
Empires of Privateers and Their Glorious Ventures 2010Direct digital mimaki inkjet print with acid dye, batik chop Remazol Fast Salt dyes on 100% silk twill132 × 400 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Jumaadi
The End of Geography2014Pencil on found map245 × 200 cm
Beehive series, (nos. 1, 2, 3, 4)2014Pencil on found map38 × 45 cm
Two photographs of Sidoarjo in the aftermath of the mud-volcano disaster, taken during travel by the artist and Siobhan Campbell in 2008Colour print13 × 10 cmTriyanto TriwikromoThe Mud Purgatory2008Publisher: Gallery 4A, Sydney (publica-tion accompanying solo exhibition by Jumaadi)
All works courtesy of the artist
Hortus Indicus MalabaricusHendrik van Rheede1678–1693Recto, Hortus Indicus Malabaricus, Volume 1Verso, Hortus Indicus Malabaricus, Volume 1Codda-pana (Latin). Tab. 1, Vol. 3; Tab. 2, Vol. 3; Tab. 3, Vol. 3Pee-amerdu (Latin), Pars 7, Table 20Ballam pulli (Latin). Fig. 23Publisher: Johannis van Someren and Joannis van Dyck, Amsterdam
Courtesy of the Wellcome Trust, London
The Otolith GroupMedium Earth2013HD video, 41min 08 sec, colour, 16:9, stereoCourtesy of the artists and LUX Artists’ Moving ImageScreening in partnership with Rio Cinema, Dalston
Medium Earth2014Film poster, digital colour 101.6 × 76 cm
Prabhakar Pachpute
Land Escape2014Charcoal mural, direct application on wall398 × 997 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Experimenter, Kolkata Dashrath Patel
Sabarmati River Photographs1960sPhotographs of the Sabarmati riverfront in the 1960s with dyed textiles drying on the riverbank (selection).Photographs: Dashrath Patel
Line drawings: 1950sHard-cover book, single editionPublished: Sadanand Menon, Spaces, Chennai
Line drawings: 1970sHard-cover book, single editionPublished: Sadanand Menon, Spaces, Chennai
Product photographs from Sewapuri Workshops, Design and Ceramics Studios1984–1991Photographs: Dashrath Patel
In the Realm of the Visual1998Exhibition catalogue, curator Sadanand MenonPublished: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Sewapuri Workshops at Rural Design School 1984–1991Documentation photographsGroup tuition within the workshops of the Rural Design School established by Dashrath Patel in 1981 as an addition to the Gandhian rural development unit in Sewapuri, near Varanasi.
Vegetable dye textiles 1980sRural Design School, Sewapuri: Vegetable dyeing workshop
Madhubani/Mithila Photographs1960sA photo-essay of sixty-nine photographs taken in the Madhubani/Mithila region, Bihar, India, in the mid-1960s (selection)Photographs: Dashrath Patel
All works and materials courtesy of Sadanand Menon
Mundus SubterraneusAthanasius Kircher 1664Systema Ideale PyrophylaciorumPublished: Apud Joannem Janssonium à Waesberge and viduam Elizaei Weyerstraet, Amsterdam
Courtesy of The Map House, London
Selma and Sofiane Ouissi
Laaroussa2011HD video, 12 min
Hand-gesture choreographic notation: Laaroussa2012Choreographic notes on card29.7 × 40 cm Performance score: Laaroussa2012–2013Choreographic score on manuscript paper 20 × 29.7 cm Popular Spaces Art Factories, Sejnane2012 – 2013Photographs: Mongi Aouinet for L’Art Rue12.7 × 17.8 cm
All material courtesy of the artists and L’Art Rue Association, Tunis
Boyle FamilyKerb Study with Worn Tarmac, Manhole Cover and Coin, London2005 Mixed media 183 × 183 cm
Courtesy of the David Roberts Collection, London
