2018

    ‘Image from a report by Alexandra Trone on the Conservation of the Joseph Murumbi African Art Collection, Nairobi’

 

 

 

An archive is a block of compressed anger. To exist, the archive of power needs to destroy the memories of political and sexual minorities. Every fire contains the fire with which the memory of the other is destroyed.  –Segments from Paul B. Preciados text, ‘My body doesn’t exist’

 

This project takes the form of a dig where we unearth stories through individual and group excursions by scouring through archives and other audiovisual material at various points of culture preservation in Kenya. Our first dig focuses on the role of collections particularly in African countries and a re-visit of the late Joseph Murumbi’s collection. We will be presenting thoughts amongst ourselves while addressing ideas around collecting, poetry and politics, fiction, exhibition making and envisioning the looted dream that would have been the Murumbi Institute of African Studies and Research Centre.