BLOODY MINERALS - ANALYSIS OF ORGANIC HERITAGE MATERIALS 1ST STUDY: THE ALTAR OF LIBERTY
“Bloody Minerals: The Altar of Liberty” is the first of a series of Studies of the larger project “Analysis of Organic Heritage Materials”. The video “The Altar of Liberty” reconstructs affective glitches that may take place on the level of identification with a culture, a state, a territory, a history, an ideology. Its narrative unfolds through landscape imagery, maps, CGI molecular structures as well as traditional folk art to draw fictional links between the Greek War of Independence and the Irish Easter Rising, tracing elements of the mythical Spirit of Revolt across the European territory.
In this 1st Study of the project, a fictional pseudo-scientific research proposes that mineral concentration in the blood of certain ethnic groups corresponds to the local landscape and political culture. Touching on territoriality, colonialism, supra-/national identification and scientism, the video explores the notion of the Spirit of Revolt as a mythical emancipatory demand and traces affective boundaries across the European territory and culture.
On a special presentation the video became part of a ritualistic performance, where excerpts from P. Kropotkin's Spirit of Revolt were read by the performer transformed into a shamanic scientist. In the name of the Spirits of sacrifice and tradition, scientism and ideology, lit candles were handed out to the audience.
Commissioned by the 2nd NSK Folk Art Biennial: NSK Art Rising on the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Irish Easter Rising.
Video installation presented at the Burren College of Art, Ballyvaughan, Ireland.
Lecture-performance and screening presented at the Horse Hospital, London.
