TXT project
TXT project
Damage and repair
by Rosa de Bruijn
The initiation rituals for boys becoming men of a particular African tribe is my inspiration for this project.
During their initiation ritual the boys receive cuttings in their skin. Their whole body will be ‘damaged’ by the cuttings of their initiation. The initiation process is not meant to look beautiful, it's about becoming part of the community and about becoming a man. Humiliation is part of this process, it reminds them of authority.
“I will be strong.”
“I will change.”
“I am only a little bit of an adult.”
“After this I will be a whole/complete man.”
The injured skin will recover and heal itself though the scars of their initiation will remain. The scars are a reminder to one of the most important happenings in their life.
The movie I made shows the process of demolition and its repair. By playing the movie from back to front, I want to focus on the fact that the moment has really happened. This movie also gives the illusion that things can be undone.
The material I chose to use is able to repair/heal itself to its original form or state in contrast to the initiation cuts of the African tribe. It can continiousely damage and later 'repair' itself into a state in which it is not visible that anything had happened.
The process of damage and repair is a temporary process like the healing process of cuts in the skin. Where the initiation rituals of the African tribe might not remain forever, they will probably eventually dissapear.
Tribal movie:
