LOOKING FOR BEGINNINGS
Rita Mawuena Benissan & Princela Biyaa
LOOKING FOR BEGINNINGS:
In Ghana, the royal umbrellas are used in the chieftaincy. The royals – king, queen mother and chief – stand and dance under the umbrella surrounded by their entourage. The umbrellas are to provide shade and protect the person from the weather and sun, but they also serve as an indicator of that person. The fabrication of the umbrella represents the person and the community walking under the umbrella. The use of color and size establishes a power dynamic with the different types of umbrellas. In the installation “Looking for Beginnings” these umbrellas become the projection surface for the family histories of the artists Rita Mawuena Benissan and Princela Biyaa. They share stories of searching for beginnings, of family archives and histories, and thereby intend to engage in the recollection of the past.
Rita Mawuena Benissan focuses on her grandfather because of the many stories her mother told her about him and the inaccessibility of his photos and chieftaincy legacy that he had in the Volta region and many chieftaincy legacies throughout Ghana.
Princela Biyaa takes a look at her parents’ stories, their told and untold stories and links them to West African folktales. She moves between reality and fiction.
Furthermore, the artists invite Ghanaians on the continent and in the diaspora to look for their own family archives and have their photos included in the installation. Reclaiming the power of the family history and legacies found in the photos through this process and projecting them on the umbrella.
The project (Un)Learning Distances – Digital International Residency Program is produced in cooperation with transmissions GmbH and is supported by the Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of NEUSTART KULTUR.
Working Diaries
August:
When we first started our work process, our initial questions focused on how our archival work can come together? What are our interests? What do you want to emphasize in our collaboration? How can we make this a process of (un)learning for ourselves and others?