Cl茅ment Cogitore Ferdinandea
In June 1831, in the waters of the Mediterranean stretching between Sicily and Tunisia, an island emerged and quickly attracted the attention of European powers keen to lay claim to its strategic position. Cl茅ment Cogitore鈥檚 new body of work, Ferdinandea, speculates, through 16mm film, video, photographs and historical documents, on the rise, fall and possible reemergence of this ephemeral volcanic island. It was given many names 鈥� 鈥樏巐e Julia鈥� in France, 鈥楪raham鈥� in England, and, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, it took the name of the reigning monarch, Ferdinand II di Borbone. Today, dormant eight meters below the waves, Ferdinandea could at any time re-emerge as a result of further seismic activity, and so spark new geopolitical manoeuvres. Cogitore orchestrates premonition, observation, metaphorical insight and fiction to consider what this tale may tell us of our current plight and our possible futures.
Ferdinandea鈥檚 rocky crest rose to 65 meters above sea level following a submarine volcanic eruption resulting from pressure exerted by the Eurasian on the African tectonic plate. Whilst the sailors and the inhabitants of the nearby coastlines feared the awakening of a deep-sea creature, the new territory rapidly became the target of European imperial aspirations and several expeditions were launched forthright with the intent of colonising this terra nullius. In just a few weeks, the island was claimed by Britain, France, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. However, the competition would be short-lived; the newly formed island sank back under the waves of the Mediterranean just six months after its first appearance.
The exhibition opens with a selection of nineteenth century illustrations, maps and letters produced by geologists and cartographers sent by the competing nations eager to document the formation of the island and establish sovereignty. The archival materials reveal the cartographic impulse inherent to the European paradigm of territorial expansion and control. Before the arrival of these imperial envoys, the inhabitants of nearby coastal areas were the first to recount signs of the island鈥檚 apparition and of the volcanic activity that birthed it. Cogitore reconstructs these strange occurrences and premonitions in an evocative 16mm film.
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In June 1831, in the waters of the Mediterranean stretching between Sicily and Tunisia, an island emerged and quickly attracted the attention of European powers keen to lay claim to its strategic position. Cl茅ment Cogitore鈥檚 new body of work, Ferdinandea, speculates, through 16mm film, video, photographs and historical documents, on the rise, fall and possible reemergence of this ephemeral volcanic island. It was given many names 鈥� 鈥樏巐e Julia鈥� in France, 鈥楪raham鈥� in England, and, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, it took the name of the reigning monarch, Ferdinand II di Borbone. Today, dormant eight meters below the waves, Ferdinandea could at any time re-emerge as a result of further seismic activity, and so spark new geopolitical manoeuvres. Cogitore orchestrates premonition, observation, metaphorical insight and fiction to consider what this tale may tell us of our current plight and our possible futures.
Ferdinandea鈥檚 rocky crest rose to 65 meters above sea level following a submarine volcanic eruption resulting from pressure exerted by the Eurasian on the African tectonic plate. Whilst the sailors and the inhabitants of the nearby coastlines feared the awakening of a deep-sea creature, the new territory rapidly became the target of European imperial aspirations and several expeditions were launched forthright with the intent of colonising this terra nullius. In just a few weeks, the island was claimed by Britain, France, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. However, the competition would be short-lived; the newly formed island sank back under the waves of the Mediterranean just six months after its first appearance.
The exhibition opens with a selection of nineteenth century illustrations, maps and letters produced by geologists and cartographers sent by the competing nations eager to document the formation of the island and establish sovereignty. The archival materials reveal the cartographic impulse inherent to the European paradigm of territorial expansion and control. Before the arrival of these imperial envoys, the inhabitants of nearby coastal areas were the first to recount signs of the island鈥檚 apparition and of the volcanic activity that birthed it. Cogitore reconstructs these strange occurrences and premonitions in an evocative 16mm film.
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