Hearts and Minds 2010
A survey[1] of absence[2] and presence[3] in the representation of Africa in America in a selection of contemporary art, media and archive.
Exhibition views, Hall Street Gallery SCAD Savannah, GA United States.
[1] sur·vey
vt
1. to look at or consider something in a general or very broad way.
2. to look at or consider somebody or something closely, especially in order to form an opinion.
3. to make a detailed map of an area of land, including its boundaries.
4. to do a statistical study of a sample population by asking questions about specific aspects of people’s lives
5. to look at something in a casual or leisurely way
n
1. a team of surveyors working together
2. a report that shows the results of a survey
3. an area of land that is being or has been surveyed
4. a statistical analysis of answers to a poll of a sample of a population, for example, to determine opinions, preferences, or knowledge
[2] ab·sence n
1. the fact of somebody’s not being in a particular place
2. a period during which somebody is away
3. the lack or nonexistence of a particular quality or feature
[3] pres·ence n
1. the physical existence of somebody or something in a particular place
2. the immediate vicinity of somebody or something
3. somebody who inspires awe and respect
4. a supernatural spirit that is felt to be nearby
5. somebody who is present in a particular place
6. a quality of certain performers that enables them to achieve a rapport with and hold the attention of their audiences
7. the existence of official personnel in a place, especially police, military, or diplomatic personnel
franchise a freedom. a venue for local and international art and cultural activity.an active creative space hosting exhibitions, events and exchanges.
Creative consultants - established by Jenah & Thomas Barry, curated by Jenah Barry
Map - South Africa Modern art projects (Map) is a series of site specific art events, collaborations and exhibitions. The Map venues - inform each other and comprise a network that is not organized around any particular hierarchy of space or aesthetic response. Map springs from a passion for art and its multifarious ways of representing the world, of giving expression to emotion, intellect and social formations. It is the result of a desire to bring art to the table, to transform a space of ordinary activity into a space of surprising encounters with images and objects.
Creative consultants - Design and Project management Thomas & Jenah Barry.
themiraclefilter "Miracle Filter”, was a phrase taken from a box of Peter Styvesant cigarettes preffered by Barry at the time, which described the quality of their filters. Peter Styversant founded New York in 1653. King-size, rich choice tobaccos, and the miracle filter, make Peter Styvesant the international passport to smoking pleasure. The choosing of this phrase was in a sense, a word play on the notion of the ‘filter’. The tape-deck used for our recordings at the time was then referred to as the ‘miracle filter’, in that it ‘filtered’ out all our ‘jargon’. On the evening of the first recording, Barry, Horsburgh, and Allen were sitting around at the FLAT. Allen mentioned a game that a friend, Kearn Bamber and he used to play. They would take a text and read it in a tone or voice that was divorced from the content of the text. For example – one would adopt an angry voice while describing the mechanics of a car engine. In this way the signifying voice would be out of phase with the signifying text. The secret to the game was to try and sound as serious as possible; to make one’s words seem believable.
With what, had been an arbitrary reference to the game; Horsburgh hurriedly got the tape‑recorder and a pile of books. We passed out the books randomly and began to read arbitrarily in a ‘conversational tone’. As Horsburgh had trained to be an actor, he slipped into the mode with greatest ease, sounding authentic yet irrational. But all three of us participated, and as each individual spoke, our readings began to develop into ‘conversations’. Amoung us, an audio exquisite corpse materialized.
Continued hosting of Artists Directory and Project management Thomas & Jenah Barry.
Maputaland Residencies - South Africa.
Creative consultants - Project management.
Incorporating one of the first World Heritage Sites proclaimed in South Africa. Maputaland is home to an ubandance of nature with a fascinating cultural and volatile political history, making it fertile ground for artists.