Hunters & Gatherers is an intimate event organised by Margot & Hanna de Grave Loyson. The intention is for people to come together, share and discuss what they have been working on, thinking or feeling. I was invited to share a project I have been working on and also invited Kiara Govaert to share some things of her own.

_{The project:}
A history (tribute)

Summary

The historic narrative usually runs along the lines of war, social movements, political machinations or individual ‘heroes’. A history (tribute) is an attempt at constructing a new frame trough which we can reflect on recent political history. It is a history written out against the backdrop of the politically motivated, self-inflicted burning of bodies. self immolation. By examining the history of politically motivated self immolations a new image appears. One that jumps around constantly, both in time and space, but manages to offer a genuinely new perspective compared to how we are usually taught history. It is a history from the perspective of the people who found themselves incapable or unwilling to use violence on anybody other than themselves and thus have given their life, body and pain to what they believed in. It contains all the absurdity, specificity and moral questionability that history and life itself contains. The goal is to create a legitimate framework trough which we can consider history not as one big narrative, but an amalgamation of peoples experiences, systematic oppression, contradictions, and in a sense, poetry.

I have tried to compile a chronological overview of all political self immolations (that is still very incomplete as of now) beginning with the most famous self immolation of all time;  66-year old monk Tich Quang Duc protesting the oppressive regime of Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963. The sitting monk burning to death is a picture you certainly know. Since Tich Quang Duc there have been hundreds and hundreds of people who have lit themselves on fire in protest of political and religious oppresion.

I started with compiling all this history in a long narrative text listing each case; the date, the name, where it happened, why it happened and the consequences of the action as well as relevant political or personal details.  I have also taken the time to explain more complicated political movements / situations when necessary. It is all in chronological order so as we read, we get closer and closer to the current day, until we arrive there.

When I made it, I thought this video was a ‘result’ of some kind. Soon enough I understood that in reality, it is merely a beginning. It is a document. an archive that is alive and keeps growing trough the inevitable rythm of burning bodies in history as it unfolds

As the archive itself, this project is supposed to be a living thing. Not something to be concluded at one point, it can’t be. It will be a vehicle for reflection and collaboration with other people and artists. My first impression upon reading the hundreds and hundreds of names was sheer awe and a sense of guilt that I did not know a single one of all these names. Finding ways to pay tribute to the people that did this and meanwhile to touch on the many different sensibilities contained within all these situations that contain politics, the body, fire and relationships to the other seems like a valuable way to proceed.

The first iteration of this work was supposed to debut on Begehungen festival in Chemnitz august 2024. For me there were certain requirements about how to present this rescearch in a way that respects the matter it discusses, the curators objected to this. We did not manage to find a middle ground and the work was withdrawn from the festival.

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During the evening at Jagers & verzamelaars / Hunters & gatherers we talked about the many aspects that intersect in this project. Questions about owner/authorship, care, narrative, form, appropriation, art as a buffer zone, tribute,… I will include notes that were taken by people, they also include notes about Kiara’s presentation/conversation.