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The Essential Archive

(Installation, 2020; work in progress)

In this still in progress body of work, I examine the concept of “essential need” based on the criteria given during COVID-19 lock downs in Israel.

In order to practice certain activities or to be allowed to move freely, your actions are required to be defined as essential for maintaining daily life. In this project, I ask firstly of myself and next of others to contemplate over their essential needs and their embodiment in found materials. For example, the stones found while sorting potato donations for families in need during COVID-19 symbolize for me the essential needs of food, family and community.

Archives are conceived as scientific, objective, factual databases but like other man-made sorting tools, such as political maps, they are often used to maintain the hegemonic power structures and set the collective consciousness to their benefit. in this project, subjective ideas of freedom, security, culture and more will be explored. The variety and resemblance of the butter cookies boxes that are above the found materials prove their validity: If these are all valid butter cookies as described on each of them, all the different essential definitions can definitely own their title as well.

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The Essential Archive, rounded butter cookies boxes, multiple found materials, 160X80X315 cm (small scale), project in process, 2020

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The Essential Archive, detail: Unknown butter cookies box & rocks found in a donated 1 ton potato pile while sorting it for families in need, 160X80X315 cm, ongoing project, 2020-present

For participation- please contact.

© 2016 by Tal Hafner.
 

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