Terra Nullius

Terra Nullius (Latin for `land of no one') is a new work by Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi. It shows Australia at the turn of the twentieth century. The film is constructed from found footage and archive material. The artists spliced together old nitrate sequences to form a filmic topography. The British colonists declared Australia a `terra nullius' and in the same breath denied the existence of Aboriginal society. Captured in the old archive material, the urban landscape in Australia stands in stark contrast with the life of the indigenous population: the luxurious, elegant clothing and hairstyles of the women in the built-up streets stands alongside the portrait of an Aboriginal with shabby clothing who is playing with a boomerang. The productions of Angela Ricci Lucchi and Yervant Gianikian are the result of a special treatment of old nitrate film material. Following extensive archival research, the chosen film fragments are subjected to colouring, a re-editing of the sequences, and changes in velocity. After these changes, the films offer a clearer insight into the leading interests of the artists: technicalisation, fascism, colonialism, war and forced migration. On show in Witte de With.