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
LETTERS FROM THE FRONTLINE
The artist’s books Letters from the frontline I and Letters from the frontline II were produced for the Disappearance exhibition (2017) held to raise awareness of poaching and human trafficking in South Africa. Each book consists of pages with quotes from individuals engaged in the protection of rhinoceroses and elephants, as well as from individuals related to poachers are rendered in morse code; a morse code key and a set of loose pages on which the readers can decrypt the morse code messages.
The funds raised through artwork sales were donated to the SAN Parks Honorary Rangers and the national organisation S.T.O.P. (Stop Trafficking of People).