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
VISUALISING THE VOICES OF REDAN
Hosted as the "READ ME" exhibition
The twenty-first century has seen a rise in the awareness of environmental issues and the need for responsible practices when managing natural resources and landscapes. The Redan rock engraving site is a neglected national monument and provincial heritage site near Vereeniging in the Gauteng province. Acid rain, produced by the industrial activity characteristic to the area, is but one of the factors that is contributing to the deterioration of this open-air rock art landscape.
Visualising the voices of Redan is an interdisciplinary body of work that follows on the conceptual foundation of the Written in Bone project by responding to this landscape’s plight from a biocentric perspective and imbuing the Redan rock engraving site with a personal identity. It explores the manner in which the principles and practices of forensic anthropology can be appropriated as a design methodology and tool for the visual representation of this identity. The subject is considered as a physical body, with particular identifiable aesthetic principles, and a psychological being with memories, interactions and resulting narratives. The Redan rock engraving site is thus positioned as an entity worthy of the same care, concern and respect as a human being.
book
1/5
Book one of five: an introduction
This book was designed to represent the first phase of a forensic anthropologist's workflow, which is the introduction to a case. It was also intended as an introduction to the narrative embodied in the completed body of work.
book
2/5
Book two of five: in situ
This book is a representation of the second phase of a forensic anthropologist's workflow - the processing of the crime scene. In this case, that meant the documentation of the Redan rock engraving site and its immediate surrounds.
book
3/5
Book three of five: biological profile
This book represents the determination of the victim's biological profile, which constitutes the third phase of the forensic anthropologist's workflow.
book
4/5
Book four of five: between label and body
This book represents the fourth phase of the forensic anthropologist's workflow: trauma analysis and identification. The evidence of trauma provides snippets of a story that the forensic anthropologist pieces together to form a coherent whole.
book
5/5
Book five of five: a past and present reconnected
Together, all five books fulfill the role of case reporting (a forensic anthropologist's final step). This book provides a conclusion by providing a report on the outcome of the analyses and interpretations in the form of positive identification.
