Reliquaries and Afrofuturisms

Public sculptor and new media artist Andrew Scott welcomes us in his workshop where he creates his reliquaries that may be perceived differently in daylight or darkness. The laser cut relief sculpture functions as a traditional sculpture by day, with light playing across the faceted surface. By night however, projection mapping brings the work’s subject matter into clarity, as the large face becomes a death mask referencing recent killings of unarmed African American men (for example African American men who lost their lives in tragic encounters with the police in 2014). A reliquary is a receptacle used to hold, display and keep sacred relics. The form and spirit of this work is directly informed by the reliquary figures of the Kota People in Gabon. An excellent opportunity to share ideas about stakes of power, aesthetics, remix of traditional art and globalization.