The Planets, Chapter 32
The Planets is a series of snapshots marking events highlighting milestones in exploration and innovation. They exalt man while also speaking of a history of technology and exploitation at a time of great anxiety and discovery. The video begins with a dire prophecy captured through a radio broadcast to the ominous approaching set of footsteps. A striking image is that of the gasholder, a massive structure from the industrial age that has existed across the UK since the 1800’s. Casting long shadows, these structures tell us about the passing of time but further remain a stain marking the country’s contribution to the extended looting and intellectual pollution of Africa. At one instance a countdown suddenly commences and a rocket or missile is launched. It would seem that while we’re eager to discover new worlds we are also keen on destroying existing ones. This fantastic journey is set inside a warehouse, an architectural nod to industrial structures and buildings as symbols of innovation and progress. The Planets invokes different ideas of freedom through flight, the world of cinema, space exploration and communing with AI entities allowing us access to infinite virtual worlds.
The Planets, Chapter 32 | Installed at the Dak’Art Biennale, 2018
The Planets, Chapter 32 | Photo courtesy: Mimosa London for the exhibition Cosmic Mothers, 2021.
Limited edition print | Aquatint etching
