Aesthetics of memory in the 21st century: politics of forgetting in public and media spaces
In this masterclass, I present a group of works developed over the preceding five years in the field of the aesthetics of memory. Their focus is the politics of forgetting in public and media spaces. These experimental works take the form of artistic interventions in public space, networks and informational spaces.
In relation to urban spaces, I discuss Beleza Convulsiva Tropical, created for the 3rd Bahia Biennial (2014) in Salvador, and Memória da Amnésia (2015/2016) in São Paulo. In these projects, I highlight strategies of rendering invisible and concealing, together with the suppression of images, as central mechanisms of the politics of forgetting.
Turning to informational spaces, I revisit questions raised by my work with digital media. I conclude with Já é ontem? (Is It Yesterday Already?), an extended visual essay that documented the transformation of Rio de Janeiro’s port area between 2010 and 2017 as part of the Porto Maravilha redevelopment project, focusing on the demolition of the Perimetral viaduct and the area around Praça Mauá.
Masterclass, Bytefootage Festival. Buenos Aires, 5 May 2018.