ANTA | ANTE | ANTI PØDES
a lookdown cura
CURATOR
edouard sors / architect & photographer
MEDIATORS
sophie berger, ameneh karimian, and edouard sors
LOCATIONS
dust belt & pacific ocean
KEYWORDS
Earth, water, khettara, oasis, qanat, desert, palm tree, well, ocean, island, moai, antipode, crossing, isolation, mirror, mask, vision, passage...
INVITATION
As from September 20th 2020, a crew of 3 diggers and a cohort of flow-followers - including you – shall reopen the gateways to an existing yet very secret underground gallery that connects some of the most uninhabited and isolated regions on Earth.
PRESENTATION
Digitally projected at latitude 31°31’50’’ North, longitude 4°29’30” West with a ground temperature of 100°F, you shall pass mysterious doors, chill out in the darkness of a subterranean gallery, dive into the unknown and explore the unexpected dimensions this ancestral wormhole gives access to: you shall channel through Earth from the outskirts of the Sahara desert in Morocco to the immensities of the Pacific Ocean via the Central Plateau of antique Persia.
See with the ageless local gatekeepers who stand inside the augural space they curate with mirrors for you to cross, read the testimonies of the distant travellers who stand behind as exemplary ambassadors of times to come, hear the voices of those whose feet are opposite yours.
If their artistic media differ – in this case respectively sound, the built matter and imagery – their interests and views converge: water plays a core role in their “actor’s direction”. Edouard focuses, together with designers and users, on hydric foundations in the built environment and mindscapes; Ameneh takes care of world heritage related to hydraulic infrastructures with volunteers and builders; Sophie glides down rivers and across the oceans in quest of people on the move and ethereal sounds.
See with the ageless local gatekeepers who stand inside the augural space they curate with mirrors for you to cross, read the testimonies of the distant travellers who stand behind as exemplary ambassadors of times to come, hear the voices of those whose feet are opposite yours.
PARTICIPATION
The exhibition features three actors of ‘archivism’ (activism in the preservation or building of archives and architecture) – namely Sophie Berger, Ameneh Karimian, and Edouard Sors. Their solo and collective works are participatory in the sense that ‘otherness’ has a central and active role in the production process, be it the collection of impressions, the restoration of buildings or the construction of soundscapes and stories...If their artistic media differ – in this case respectively sound, the built matter and imagery – their interests and views converge: water plays a core role in their “actor’s direction”. Edouard focuses, together with designers and users, on hydric foundations in the built environment and mindscapes; Ameneh takes care of world heritage related to hydraulic infrastructures with volunteers and builders; Sophie glides down rivers and across the oceans in quest of people on the move and ethereal sounds.
The collective digital exhibition ANTA | ANTE | ANTI PØDE a lookdown cura guides visitors into a series of articles, photos, testimonies and sounds that altogether re-create an archaic yet profound walkthrough Earth in order to catch a glimpse of the “others’ sides”.
AMBITION
The common aim of Edouard, Ameneh and Sophie with their virtual and collective gallery is for all of us to escape from lockdowns by looking down from our desk/lap/palm-tops onto naturally secluded parts of the world, by looking down into the motivation behind the achievements of shadow workers and people who take care, by looking down to our feet while floating above the shoulders of those who stand under, to understand, inside out.
Yet their exhibition is not only about awakening the curiosity amongst the venturous explorers of the World Wide Web, nor about raising awareness within the captive niche of internet wanderers... It is also about virtually testing the likelihood that the khettara gallery of Fezna might one day host art qanat related art and that the gatekeepers will eventually, in turn, become gallery curators.
Yet their exhibition is not only about awakening the curiosity amongst the venturous explorers of the World Wide Web, nor about raising awareness within the captive niche of internet wanderers... It is also about virtually testing the likelihood that the khettara gallery of Fezna might one day host art qanat related art and that the gatekeepers will eventually, in turn, become gallery curators.
IMMERSION
So look down and then look ahead and behind, read the lines through and read between the lines, listen well and hear beyond, the rumours of a world forced to turn at idling speed. Speculate about the human condition but don’t let mirages deceive you. Face the truth, above all.
