Kapwani Kiwanga
Kapwani Kiwanga is an artist and filmmaker. Her documentary, video, installation and sound works explore the intimacies of the human condition in relation to historical, social and political forces.
With a varied background in the audiovisual fields Kapwani Kiwanga has produced work for radio, television and the Internet. Kapwani Kiwanga’s work has been shown internationally on television, at film festivals, in galleries and art centres.
In previous works Kapwani Kiwanga has used documentary to explore the interiority of individuals and communities situated on society’s periphery. Bon Voyage (Colour Video, sound, 3', 2004) is a portrait of one woman in her workplace: the toilets of Paris’ Montparnasse train station. Rooted (Colour Video, sound, 24’, 2004) is a documentary that explores identity in contemporary Scotland through the patrons of black hair salons and their clients.
Kiwanga’s interest in social-political issues guides her current exploration of a formal dialogue between; documentary and fiction cinema, performance and installation.
With a varied background in the audiovisual fields Kapwani Kiwanga has produced work for radio, television and the Internet. Kapwani Kiwanga’s work has been shown internationally on television, at film festivals, in galleries and art centres.
In previous works Kapwani Kiwanga has used documentary to explore the interiority of individuals and communities situated on society’s periphery. Bon Voyage (Colour Video, sound, 3', 2004) is a portrait of one woman in her workplace: the toilets of Paris’ Montparnasse train station. Rooted (Colour Video, sound, 24’, 2004) is a documentary that explores identity in contemporary Scotland through the patrons of black hair salons and their clients.
Kiwanga’s interest in social-political issues guides her current exploration of a formal dialogue between; documentary and fiction cinema, performance and installation.
The Sun Ra Repatriation Project was initiated in 2008 and fashions a system of interplanetary communication to ensure Sun Ra’s return home. This video documents the project’s activities. Kapwani travels to the United States and France to meet experts and scientist to help in the endevour. France’s national police create a composite portrait from video testimonies of those who knew Sun Ra. The composite sketch is then sent into deep space on May 16 2009. A radiotelescope in California observes Saturn for any possible extraterrestrial radio transmissions from Sun Ra. Meetings with experts at the Observatoire de Paris and the NASA-associated: Jet Propulsion Lab, articulate the astronomical aspects of the project.
Sun Ra was an American musician, composer, and poet who affirmed his extraterrestrial origin. On May 16, 2009 The Sun Ra Repatriation Project sent a composite portrait of Sun Ra into deep space.
The installation acts as an observation centre in which one awaits a cosmic sign from Sun Ra. The sounds heard in the installation are a mix of three VLF (very low frequency) sources obtained from space in realtime.
A dot matrix printer continuously records the incoming signals while a video in an adjoining room relates the project’s previous activities.
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