P I R A T E M A T E R I A L - V I D E O E X T R A C T
P I R A T E M A T E R I A L is a body of work initiated in 2021 that investigates matter registers through a series of encounters with both human and non-human elements. These encounters stem from a philosophical approach, wherein a "piratical being" examines humanity in the Anthropocene—an era in which humans have become conscious of their role as the culprit - a geophysical force on a planetary scale. Through collisions and daring explorations, this speculative figure embarks on a journey free from assumptions, seeking to grasp how this paradigm shift reshapes individual perceptions of the world around us.
The work draws inspiration from the writings of philosopher Timothy Morton and has been continuously developed through text, sound, video, performance, painting, and wood engravings.
The term "pirate" originates from the Ancient Greek "peiráomai," meaning "trial" or "attempt," and is historically perceived as "the enemy of all." The piratical figure serves as a covert agent of action—an undefined position beyond state or geographic boundaries. In this context, the piratical becomes a state of exemption, inhabiting an extraterritorial realm, liberated and rendered tangible through its interaction with the world.
“As we have discovered ourselves as a species, I wonder if humans have unknowingly become the antagonist within our contract with nature. This, I believe, has destabilised the individual's notion of agency, and challenged our relationship with the physical as well as technological spheres.”
Within this body of work:
P I R A T E M A T E R I A L (2022)
P I R A T E M A T E R I A L at ArtLAcuna
Curated by Alex Duncan and Chris Cawkwell
The exhibition presents a collection of large scale wood engravings, sound, video and sculpture, documenting fragments of events where a piratical figure is venturing into a series of seemingly dangerous acts in potentially unstable environments.
The five large scale wood engravings depicts moments from underwater documentation of a figures descent into the River Thames, not far from the exhibition space in west London. Here, the body is dramatically rendered into new abstractions as it correlates with the surrounding elements. The act is referencing 16th-century England, where women suspected of having ties to the supernatural were subjected to witch trials, in which their fate was determined by whether they floated or sank. In contrast to traditional perspectives, viewers now observe the scene from beneath the water’s surface.