"Time lives in the landscape." It can be seen and read there. Before memory, there is the view. Remembering is literally seeing the physical traces left on the body of a place by past events. Life itself must be “embodied” in order to be recognised as real” (Achille Mbembe, Critique of Black Reason). (Achille Mbembe, Critique of Black Reason)

 

Reality is a geological construction, a living membrane, where layers of stories from countless human perspectives add up, interact, merge, compete and regenerate each other over time to create the present landscape.

 

Reality is a geological construction, a living membrane where layers of stories from countless human perspectives accumulate, interact, merge, compete and regenerate each other over time, creating the present landscape. What we see of reality is the landscape. This landscape consists of sites of memory, such as bodies, objects, public spaces and colonial monuments, on which reality is inscribed and embodied over time. The present should always maintain the polyvocal and multilayered characteristics of the membrane. Most importantly, the landscape should always be a critical reflection of current human conditions, viewed through a critical lens of the past.

 

Permanently removing or irreparably destroying sites of memory (such as colonial monuments) in the landscape, as some members of the decolonisation movement demand, can have a seismic effect. This damages and fragilises the membrane by changing the origin layer of these sites and thus their histories. Wouldn't it be better to add a new critical layer on top, to prevent irreparable damage to the membrane, which can ultimately lead to involuntary isolation, misinterpretation, forgetting, falsification and the damage or destruction of past stories? The past must leave traces in the landscape so that reality can be correctly interpreted.

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'Time lives in the landscape.' It can be seen and read there. Before memory comes the view. Remembering is literally seeing the physical traces left on the landscape by past events. "Life itself must be 'embodied' in order to be recognised as real" (Achille Mbembe, Critique of Black Reason). (Achille Mbembe, Critique of Black Reason).

 

Reality is a geological construction and a living membrane where layers of stories from countless human perspectives accumulate, interact, merge, compete, and regenerate each other over time to create the present landscape.

 

Reality is a geological construction and a living membrane where layers of stories from countless human perspectives accumulate, interact, merge, compete, and regenerate each other over time to create the present landscape. What we see of reality is the landscape. This landscape consists of sites of memory, such as bodies, objects, public spaces, and colonial monuments, on which reality becomes inscribed and embodied over time. The present should always maintain the polyvocal and multilayered characteristics of the membrane. Most importantly, the landscape should always critically reflect current human conditions when viewed through the lens of history.

 

Permanently removing or irreparably destroying sites of memory (such as colonial monuments), as some members of the decolonisation movement demand, can have a seismic effect. This damages and weakens the membrane by altering the origin of these sites and, consequently, their histories. Wouldn't it be better to add a new critical layer on top to prevent irreparable damage to the membrane, which could ultimately lead to isolation, misinterpretation, forgetting, falsification, and the destruction or damage of past stories? The past must leave traces in the landscape so that reality can be correctly interpreted.

 

WORKS

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Sacred Clowns_masqurade series 1_ #1 

Sacred Clowns_masqurade series 1_#2

NKISI series # I_ Munu/Yombe_2020

NKISI series # I_Tuba/Yombe_2020

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