3-channel video installation, HD, color, stereo sound, 12 min. 05 sec. vinyl lettering on the floor, variable dimensions
Text and video editing A.Benera A.Estefan, sound: Simina Oprescu, voice Gigi Spelsberg
From the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, by way of Namibia's desert, distinct geographies and industries interconnect through a common history of extraction. This history is narrated through the voice of a fugitive diamond that has broken free from human hands.
Diamonds are frequently found in igneous rocks that are released as kimberlite or "blue ground" closer to the Earth's surface. In 1908, a railroad worker in German South West Africa (today Namibia) discovered the first diamond, ushering in the era of diamond mining.
As land resources deplete, the ocean becomes the next mining frontier. Today, some of the most valuable gems are mined off the coast of Namibia. The first custom-built diamond recovery vessel in the world, named Benguela Gem, was commissioned by the De Beers Group and built in a Romanian shipyard on the Black Sea coast. It began its mission to mine Namibian waters in 2022.
The Namibian desert, the nearby Atlantic Ocean, and the Romanian Black Sea shoreline are juxtaposed in this three-channel video installation.
From the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, via Namibia's desert, distinct geographies and industries are linked by a shared history of extraction. This history is told through the voice of a fugitive diamond who has escaped from human hands.
Research and documentation: Basler Afrika Bibliographien, The Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Munich.
Comissioned and produced by 39th EVA International 2020-2021, Ireland’s Biennial of Contemporary Art
supported by Akademie Schloss Solitude Stuttgart, Solitude Project Cultural Association Bucharest, and Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien.