Sylvie Boisseau and Frank Westermeyer Neue Brüder, 2011, Video HD, 130 min. 
© Sylvie Boisseau and Frank Westermeyer

Produire du paysage, produire de l’identité. Regards artistiques, ethno-historiques et anthropologiques sur le sud du Chili

November 2010 to March 2014

Producing landscape, producing identity proposed to study the complex relationship between landscape and identity from a specific geographical area, southern Chile. This territory, which remained under the control of Amerindian Mapuche indigenous people (or Araucanian) until the late 19th century was colonized by immigrants of European origin and is currently intensively used by various industries and infrastructures. The Mapuche claim rights over the territories and natural resources. In the context of this disputed area where the ideological postulates materialize in performances as in the arrangement of space, the relationship between historic and contemporary models of the use and representation of landscape are the heart of this project interdisciplinary. The Eurocentric hegemonic representation of landscape, Mapuche cosmogony and transformation by the forest industry with alien species create strong oppositions that are addressed by the project. It thus contributes to a better understanding of the landscape - understood as a means of cultural identification and territorial appropriation in a postcolonial context - thanks to its interdisciplinary approach, conducted as part of an international research team, which combines methods art research, social sciences and art theory.

View all of the school's projects