Nanna DeBois Buhl

Artists in Residence – June 16 – 30, 2008

Project description

My project concerns Denmark’s colonial history in the US Virgin Islands. The project examines the writing of history and the collective memory regarding the period during and after Danish colonization.  By studying this colonial history, I want to address how contemporary inequalities and problems of nationalism have their roots in the past. Theoretically, the project is inspired by Benedict Anderson’s ideas regarding the history of the nation state as well as Homi K. Bhabhas writings on how nationhood is narrativized.

With this as my overall frame, I am working with anecdotes and archival material from different sources and periods in order to create a series of drawings and short eksperimental films mirroring the topic.

During my first stay at St. Croix, I visited Maroon Mountain near Frederiksted. I find it interesting how the mountain with its dense vegetation has created a setting for resistance and how the caves have been used for shelter and escape at different points in history.

During my residency I would like to revisit the mountain, make interviews and do film recordings. Among the people I would like to meet are Hortense Milligan Rowe, Olassie Davis and Mario Moorhead. With a starting point in the material I collect, I want to create a short essay film.