The Blue Dilemma
Imagination Group
In the desert of ancient Nubia, 270 km north of Khartoum, one of Sudan’s most recognized archeological sites is Meroe. A complex of around a hundred pyramids, tombs, and temples are part of the larger group of Nubian pyramids, built at the time of the Kushite Kingdom within a period of over a millennium during circa 300 BCE-AD 300. The site is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site but also a symbol of African civilization and cultural heritage, despite its insufficient preservation efforts.
During The Blue Dilemma program a group of architects, researchers, and scholars from Africa, the Middle East, and Europe put their collective efforts into research on the preservation of the site, taking into consideration several climate-related factors that contribute to the decay of the place.
This visual essay is a trial to respond to transformation by utilising mapping and combining artistic and cartographic practices. These involve aesthetic and syntactic processes that constitute forms of research in and of themselves. Contemporary discourse on the meaning and functions of cartography most often oscillates around the relationship between physical assets and territory. A map has now become one of the key ontological metaphors in philosophical, postcolonial, historical and literary discourse, a subjective visual representation of the world. It is also a practice, an administrative apparatus applied to space.
Maps are generally viewed as impartial, scientific, and objective tools within Western societies. However, the creation of maps has historically been influenced by our cultural and social connections to the land. In recent years, the development of digital and photographic technologies, such as Google Earth, has made map creation more dependent on external non-anthropomorphic surveying. However, these technologies bring with them a subjective and colonial bias in their representation of places. Through their use of spatial simplification, important topographical details and indigenous knowledge of places are often lost.
The practice of cartography as a collaborative research approach, along with certain forms of activism and militancy, allows us to see the creation of visual cartographies, maps, or diagrams as techniques of self-expression. This means that cartography becomes not only a way to plot realities and relationships, but also a means of analyzing and transforming signs, forces, and more. Cartography serves as a tool to examine the subjectivity of the cartographer-researchers and to challenge the dichotomy that divides researchers from the subjects of their study.
The Nubian desert in its vastness has been a site of interest for archeological missions from all over the world since the XIX century. One of the most prominent research studies has been conducted by Polish archaeologists who have been excavating in the country since the 1950s when an expedition led by Professor Kazimierz Michałowski discovered and rescued priceless frescoes from Faras. Those researchers are at the forefront of experts dealing with ancient Nubia. Every year, several Polish archaeological teams work in Sudan (currently 11, with a total of around 100 people). The Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw is one of the most active archaeological research units in the country, which set a significant precedence for this project.
Since there aren’t many resources available to the larger public on the layout of the area of Meroe, this art project has been a subject of interpretation - a set of dislocated memories from individual and collective consciousness, providing an interpretation of the site that incorporates intangible heritage.
Our group’s archival work has allowed us to delve into the indigenous knowledge of the terrain and maps. This has led us to uncover a plethora of interconnections between excavations and examinations of the site. For example, I have studied the research of the 1960-61 Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw in Soba (Nubia), which has given me a more comprehensive understanding of the site’s history and culture. Furthermore, we were currently exploring other archaeological findings in the surrounding areas to gain additional insights into the region’s rich heritage. Our research has also
involved consultations with local experts and community members, who have provided us with valuable information and perspectives. We believe that this collaborative approach will enable us to produce a more nuanced and accurate depiction of the site and its significance.
As I explored the Meroe Pyramids, I was struck by the cemetery that lay within. It was a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Kush and a space that evoked a profound sense of emotional and spiritual significance. Even though I’ve been studying analog and digital images of Nubia and the area, I was almost sensing the locational and collective grief that was evident in the cemetery. By examining this aspect of the site, I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the people who built it and the society that they lived in. Through my research, I aimed to explore the poetics of the space and the complex emotions that it evoked.
My approach was informed by a desire to incorporate intangible heritage into my interpretation of the site. I assumed that exploring the emotions and spiritual significance of the space was just as important as understanding its physical attributes. Through my project, I hoped to highlight the ways in which collective grief can be expressed and experienced in a spatial context. By doing so, I believed that I could have gained a deeper understanding of the human experience and the ways in which we relate to the spaces around us.
Additionally, one can explore the desert itself, as a body beyond borders, and the Sudanese desert in archives. The desert is not only a geographical location but also a symbol of the vast expanse of human imagination and possibility. Through our project, we seek to explore the cultural and historical significance of the desert and its role in shaping the imagination of the site.
This project utilizes a digital demarcation methodology, in order to better understand the site and its complexities. I employed digital fabrication techniques such as textile weaving and data collection through satellite images. By utilizing digital techniques, I did hope to shed new light on the site and its history, providing a new interpretation of the site that incorporates intangible heritage.
However, this work isn’t without limitations. Academic research on the Meroe Pyramids is often restricted, making it difficult to fully comprehend the site and its history. Moreover, there is a lack of recognition of the cultural significance of African civilizations in mainstream academic discourse. The project seeks to address this issue and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the site and its cultural significance.
In addition to exploring the history, culture, and emotions of the Meroe Pyramids, the project also recognizes the importance of maps and cartography in creating relationships between people and the spaces they inhabit. Through tangible and intangible experience and research, humans have come to understand that maps are not only tools for navigation but also symbols of power, control, and identity. By examining the various ways in which maps have been used to construct and reinforce relationships between people and the land, I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which human societies have interacted with the environment throughout history.
Overall, our group research on mapping and imagination of the site of Meroe Pyramids provides a unique perspective on this historically and culturally significant site. By incorporating intangible heritage and utilizing digital techniques, I wish to shed new light on the site, its history, and its meaning. Through this project, I seek to contribute to a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of African civilizations and their cultural heritage.