Written in Bone is a multi-part conceptual project focussed on the representation of landscapes that have been significantly altered by mankind through the practices involved in the reaping of resources. The communication goal of this project was that landscapes require the same degree of moral care and concern as sentient beings for whom justice seems reserved.
In order for this focus to find expression, a form of pseudo-forensic anthropology, a specialized field combining osteology, anthropology and archaeology in the interest of identifying human remains that are no longer recognizable, was applied to these altered landscapes in an attempt to explore the seemingly contradictory yet symbiotic relationship between identity, as sameness and change over time and composition, as a form of fragility and initiate a change in attitudes towards land management as environmental protection.
For the purpose of this project, Salvamento Quarry was identified as victim. Salvamento Quarry is an abandoned granite quarry that was closed down to a combination of low-quality granite and improper mining practices.
Written in Bone is a multi-part conceptual project focussed on the representation of landscapes that have been significantly altered by mankind through the practices involved in the reaping of resources. The communication goal of this project was that landscapes require the same degree of moral care and concern as sentient beings for whom justice seems reserved.
In order for this focus to find expression, a form of pseudo-forensic anthropology, a specialized field combining osteology, anthropology and archaeology in the interest of identifying human remains that are no longer recognizable, was applied to these altered landscapes in an attempt to explore the seemingly contradictory yet symbiotic relationship between identity, as sameness and change over time and composition, as a form of fragility and initiate a change in attitudes towards land management as environmental protection.
For the purpose of this project, Salvamento Quarry was identified as victim. Salvamento Quarry is an abandoned granite quarry that was closed down to a combination of low-quality granite and improper mining practices.
JO-ANN CHAN
IN / EX SITU
in / ex situ reflects on the conservation of the Atlantic Forest and the role that the growing houseplant market might play. The biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest rivals that of the Amazon Rainforest and yet has, in relative obscurity, lost eighty percent of its original tree cover to deforestation since the arrival of colonial presences in Brazil. Many plants native to the jungle understories of this forest thrive in our homes – as oblivious as their keepers to the loss of their endemic habitats. Are our homes becoming the informal museums of the forests beyond our view?
Produced for and exhibited in 2020 by The Project Space as part of a group show exploring the intersection between literary and visual arts