TRANSCENDING THE TRACE
Trace — an imprint, a vestige, a trail.
Silence shrouds the trauma of sexual assault in conflict. Whatever the circumstance or setting, this personal violation remains a tragically under-reported violent crime. The initial silencing, by force or intimidation, continues in the aftermath to become an enveloping disquiet for the survivor.
Transcending the Trace, installation/activation, 2018, British Film Institute
5,000 cords, knotted according to the principles of the Inka khipu system of accounting and storytelling, are the vestiges of trauma — emerging here, rising up to be counted.
They are a reckoning of the violence no longer concealed under the carpet of public convenience. They are survivance.
“And [tonight] we have our very own red carpet, in the form of one of these very moving art installations. Instead of carrying the stars of Hollywood, this red carpet is designed to make us think about the victims of sexual violence who are swept out of sight.
It is a great illustration of the power of art to force us to confront things that are so painful it can be easier to ignore them.”
~ Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbeldon, (November 23, 2018 - British Film Institute, London)