Residue, Colliding Archives: Chapter 3
2024
collaboration with Anika Schwarzlose
Installation: customised soil chromatography on textile, four-channel video, archival cabinets containing Hembrug soils, printed index of all archival matter. Various dimensions
Video co-editing by Brian McKenna
Index graphic design by Tariq Heijboer
Residue, Colliding Archives is a third chapter of a a collaborative project by Elena Khurtova and Anika Schwarzlose, exploring armed conflict, military-industrial production, and the enduring consequences for humans and all other lifeforms. The spatial installation intertwines images, objects, and soil to tell the story of the Hembrug weapons factory and the Hembrugterrein, an industrial neighbourhood in Zaandam. Operating from 1904 to 2003, the factory played a pivotal role in munitions production in the Netherlands, fuelling recent international conflicts as well as suppressing anti-colonial independence movements in Indonesia.
As the area undergoes redevelopment, the residue of violence persists beneath the ground. The soil itself becomes a tangible repository, bearing traces of weapon and ammunition manufacturing. The enduring presence of these materials necessitates soil remediation – a meticulous process involving the washing and rejuvenation of the earth. Intended to cleanse the area, the action represents the concealment of an uncomfortable past.
The installation brings together three archives: the Hembrugterrein soil, a selection of historical imagery depicting factory operations, and video footage from the Dutch Film and Television Archive. Utilising 'soil chromatography', the artists craft transformative images on large-scale textiles, using the contaminated soil samples as agents. These chemically interact with archival images, creating a powerful collision of the past and present.
Commissioned for the Sonic Acts Biennial, 'Residue, Colliding Archives: Chapter 3' was part of ‘The Spell of the Sensous’ exhibition at Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam among the works by Lukas Marxt, touche—touche and the laschulas collective.
Curated by Margarita Osipian and Angeliki Tzortzakaki
9 Feb - 17 March 2024
The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, WEJansen Fund, Stichting Stokroos, Zaans Museum and Beeld en Geluid, Institute for Sound and Vision
Special thanks to:
Tomás Ornaghi
Kristina Petrasova