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THE WEIGHT OF A FEATHER
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As the second manifestation of the practice-based research, this work explores the relation between systems of measurement and value making. ‘To Measure is To Know’ is the credo in Western society. If something is not measurable, it does not seem relevant. This performative research project aims to investigate how quantification of the immaterial is assessed and judged, according to what, by whom and for what purpose.
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Weighing of the Heart, taken from Book of the Dead
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The Weight of a Feather (2018)
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Anubis, a half man half animal creature from ancient Egyptian mythology, is associated with mummification and the afterlife. One of his roles is the ‘Guardian of the Scales’. When one dies, Anubis measures if a person is worthy of entering the afterlife by weighing their heart against a feather. If the heart is heavier than a feather, it would be devoured by Ammit, a goddess with the head of a crocodile, body of a lion and hind legs of a hippopotamus. She was called the ‘Eater of Hearts’ waiting upon a hearty meal, and once she devours the heart the soul is believed to become restless forever. If the heart is as light as the feather, it will be placed back in the body and the person could ascend to a heavenly existence and a voyage towards immortality.
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This story and image from Book of the Dead, is used as a catalyst into the conversation at a table. Participants are asked to contribute to the research by answering the questions while stitching on a fabric made of counted measure. Each day a special table-guest* is invited. Egyptologists, behavioural economist, researcher in data practices, and a cultural program maker joined in conversation during 10 days, to discuss this image and its notions from their field of expertise.
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* Guillén Torres, Juan Ramírez, Lucia Langerak, Marwan Aboul Magd, Maud Slingenberg, Sjoerd van der Steen
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– rethinking the image of ‘weighing of the heart’ in light of capitalism and its interest in life-value
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– transforming the image of ‘weighing of the heart’ from drawing on papyrus, to digitisation, pixelation, to counted measure, to stitching on fabric
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– using a highly time consuming form (stitching) to raise questions on capitalisation of time and labour
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Stitching (and other other handmade textile works) is a subjective labour and a personal practice that defied capitalism for a long time. It is a personal production of what one wants to wear, via adapting, using, re-using, and including signs and symbols from personal experiences.
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– inviting experts from different scientific and humanities research fields to inform this image from their own perspective, and vice versa
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– applying a participatory form of artistic research, inviting both experts and audience to join at the table and respond to the image of ‘weighing of the heart’ by stitching their own keywords and symbols on the fabric
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– creating an endless chain of attributing meaning to the image of ‘weighing of the heart’ in the form of slow graffiti-like stitching on fabric
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The format used is an intimate personal practice done collectively in the aim of resisting the capitalist act.
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Hieratic is the cursive writing system used in parallel to the hieroglyphic script, and the principal script used to write that language. The word freedom in hieratic script is symbolised by a child sitting down (top left image).
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New borns experience the most trauma and yet have the most genuine fresh will for survival.
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To what extent does measurement and quantification determine our assessment of situations, people, performance, success.. all what is material, and all what is immaterial.
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Anubis decides the heaviness of one’s heart based on immaterial weights, such as greed, hate or unrequited love. Capitalism reversely rewards these individual immaterial traits.
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Is there a way to look at reality differently, in order to escape the datafication, quantification and therefore the capitalisation of our lives?
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Mark Fisher spoke of no future under capitalism.
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Future is whenever we rethink the past.
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Future always is when we now are.
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A Manifesto Towards the End of Existentialism (2016)
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The NarrativeCollective
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Ink on cigarette packing foil, to be read while listening to Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (1982)
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