0:00:00.221,0:00:03.416 [ atmospheric electronic music ] 0:00:17.923,0:00:19.760 [ EL ANATSUI ][br]This is a group photograph. 0:00:19.760,0:00:21.480 And in a group photograph, 0:00:21.480,0:00:25.960 you are thinking about kinship,[br]you know. 0:00:25.960,0:00:29.160 Kinship,[br]it's a particular group. 0:00:29.160,0:00:30.913 And then they happen to be[br]close together. 0:00:33.920,0:00:39.480 Originally,[br]they were spread wide apart. 0:00:39.480,0:00:41.560 You know,[br]so what I've tried to do is, 0:00:41.560,0:00:45.387 to bring them together[br]so that they are a group. 0:00:47.160,0:00:49.920 I come from a family[br]of very many people, 0:00:49.920,0:00:52.040 about 32 siblings, 0:00:52.040,0:00:56.810 and– and probably[br]this is a reflection of that. 0:01:02.880,0:01:04.440 I was born in Ghana. 0:01:04.440,0:01:09.789 My mom died[br]when I was toddler, 0:01:11.640,0:01:13.573 pretty young,[br]about two or three. 0:01:16.040,0:01:19.960 And so I had to live[br]with my maternal uncle, 0:01:19.960,0:01:21.320 you know, a reverend. 0:01:21.320,0:01:26.120 And we lived in a mission house[br]off the presbyterian school. 0:01:26.120,0:01:30.000 My life revolved[br]only around a mission house 0:01:30.000,0:01:31.000 and the church, 0:01:31.000,0:01:33.120 school, church, you know. 0:01:33.120,0:01:38.960 And I remember that as a kid,[br]pre-kindergarten, 0:01:38.960,0:01:44.080 I was intrigued by writings[br]on the doors of offices, 0:01:44.080,0:01:46.080 you know, or even classrooms, 0:01:46.080,0:01:48.680 you know, that I saw around me. 0:01:48.680,0:01:54.560 And I used to sit down[br]and try to 0:01:54.560,0:01:57.560 emulate, you know,[br]those writings. 0:01:57.560,0:01:59.640 I didn't know what they meant,[br]but, uh– 0:01:59.640,0:02:02.083 and I remember[br]that the letter "G" 0:02:03.240,0:02:07.520 Was more intriguing to me[br]than all others– all of– 0:02:07.520,0:02:08.840 well, I don't know why. 0:02:08.840,0:02:13.160 Maybe because it has[br]so many appendages or– 0:02:13.160,0:02:16.640 it's not like "C" or the others. 0:02:16.640,0:02:19.200 It's a "C"[br]with something else on it. 0:02:19.200,0:02:21.468 You know,[br]it was intriguing to me. 0:02:33.800,0:02:35.920 I went to art school in Ghana, 0:02:35.920,0:02:37.080 which was an offshoot 0:02:37.080,0:02:39.661 of the Goldsmiths art school[br]in London. 0:02:41.640,0:02:43.720 At the time I went[br]to university, 0:02:43.720,0:02:47.569 I didn't know about anybody[br]who was living as an artist. 0:02:48.880,0:02:51.880 You know,[br]you knew about art teachers. 0:02:51.880,0:02:54.280 I met art teachers[br]in the secondary school. 0:02:54.280,0:02:58.600 but there were more teachers[br]than artists, you know. 0:02:58.600,0:03:01.800 And then I was wondering[br]how one was going to be 0:03:01.800,0:03:05.000 an artist[br]living purely on art. 0:03:07.056,0:03:10.192 We knew about doctors.[br]We knew about lawyers. 0:03:11.400,0:03:15.000 I constantly kept thinking, 0:03:15.000,0:03:17.638 "What precisely do you do[br]as an artist?" 0:03:20.080,0:03:24.700 I think that has helped[br]focus me a lot, you know, 0:03:24.700,0:03:27.960 At least to concentrate[br]on the practice of art 0:03:27.960,0:03:29.680 and see what I can[br]get out of it. 0:03:45.800,0:03:47.320 As a matter of principle, 0:03:47.320,0:03:51.040 I do not provide[br]installation instructions 0:03:51.040,0:03:52.255 for my works. 0:03:54.440,0:03:56.400 There's no one particular way 0:03:56.400,0:03:59.720 that these are[br]supposed to be installed. 0:04:01.005,0:04:04.080 - So to the left[br]a little bit. 0:04:04.080,0:04:05.481 Right there. 0:04:06.817,0:04:08.296 All right, spear away. 0:04:14.391,0:04:17.834 [ EL ANATSUI ] Since they are so free[br]and so loose and so flexible, 0:04:19.920,0:04:22.960 It would be difficult[br]to have a specific format 0:04:22.960,0:04:25.700 for any one of them at anytime. 0:04:25.700,0:04:27.958 - I don't have any other space[br]that I can hit. 0:04:27.958,0:04:28.958 - Amanda?[br]- Yeah? 0:04:28.958,0:04:30.360 - Okay if we start[br]snipping the ties off? 0:04:30.360,0:04:31.560 - I think it is, yeah. 0:04:31.560,0:04:33.360 - Okay. Yeah.[br]Start snipping those ties. 0:04:35.800,0:04:36.840 When they lift that bar out, 0:04:36.840,0:04:39.028 you're gonna need to lift up[br]the work, yeah. 0:04:40.236,0:04:41.867 - We're good.[br]Lift up the bar. 0:04:46.339,0:04:48.083 [tool whirring] 0:04:50.772,0:04:54.598 [ EL ANATSUI ] "Stressed World" is the title[br]that I give my current work. 0:04:56.320,0:04:58.198 - Yeah, I want to create some... 0:05:00.200,0:05:01.720 some crazy here.[br]- Yeah. 0:05:01.720,0:05:04.680 - Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. 0:05:04.680,0:05:08.680 [ EL ANATSUI ] There are so many conflicts[br]going on in the world right now, 0:05:08.680,0:05:12.000 Man-made conflicts,[br]natural conflicts: 0:05:12.000,0:05:16.980 earthquakes, tsunamis, wars. 0:05:17.931,0:05:19.080 I'm not sure about all these– 0:05:19.080,0:05:22.920 leave you in a state of[br]kind of siege. 0:05:22.920,0:05:25.668 Yeah, your mind[br]is in a state of siege. 0:05:33.680,0:05:35.000 - I think it's okay. 0:05:38.033,0:05:39.800 - It's nice.[br][metal clinking] 0:05:42.627,0:05:44.112 - Be careful of your wrists, man. 0:05:48.944,0:05:51.729 - The media I've worked with[br]so far have been 0:05:52.680,0:05:57.732 metal, ceramic,[br]and wood in different forms. 0:06:03.000,0:06:04.520 Working with strips of wood, 0:06:04.520,0:06:09.920 I changed my approach[br]a little bit, 0:06:09.920,0:06:13.240 You know, by working not with[br]strips of wood that's processed, 0:06:13.240,0:06:18.276 but then wood[br]which has been used by humans... 0:06:22.800,0:06:25.120 and then transform[br]it into something 0:06:25.120,0:06:26.538 that you contemplate, 0:06:27.643,0:06:29.400 not something you use. 0:06:38.280,0:06:41.052 I like the drape of that. 0:06:55.702,0:06:58.606 Okay, Sally, I want some[br]relaxation in some places, 0:06:58.760,0:07:00.780 and, yeah. 0:07:01.757,0:07:02.960 - It's different every time. 0:07:02.960,0:07:05.160 - Yeah, every time[br]it's different. 0:07:05.160,0:07:06.626 That's the whole idea. 0:07:07.731,0:07:10.485 Supposed to change[br]with every venue 0:07:10.485,0:07:12.208 and every space. 0:07:20.381,0:07:23.660 [ EL ANATSUI ] The ceramic pieces belong[br]to a series that I did. 0:07:23.660,0:07:26.160 It was called broken pots. 0:07:26.160,0:07:29.160 In most parts of Africa,[br]when a pot is broken, 0:07:29.160,0:07:32.118 it's not the end of its life. 0:07:34.200,0:07:36.307 This idea of regeneration, 0:07:38.440,0:07:40.987 you know,[br]giving form to new life, 0:07:43.023,0:07:46.206 bringing about new hope,[br]you know. 0:07:47.080,0:07:51.960 And I did these pieces[br]at the time that also– 0:07:51.960,0:07:53.600 already in Nigeria. 0:07:53.600,0:08:00.569 And the economy of Ghana[br]was really at its lowest point. 0:08:01.469,0:08:05.360 You know, and I thought that[br]that was my own way 0:08:05.360,0:08:09.744 of affirming something positive, 0:08:11.440,0:08:17.362 destruction as a prerequisite[br]for new ideas or for new growth. 0:08:21.680,0:08:24.800 When I started working[br]with the bottle caps, 0:08:24.800,0:08:28.880 I was purely doing sculpture. 0:08:28.880,0:08:31.080 and somehow, inadvertently, 0:08:31.080,0:08:34.080 the color scheme[br]of the bottle caps 0:08:34.080,0:08:39.880 happened to replicate that of[br]a very popular fabric in Ghana, 0:08:39.880,0:08:41.640 The kente cloth. 0:08:41.640,0:08:44.520 Colors of kente cloth[br]are traditionally 0:08:44.520,0:08:47.332 the reds, the blacks,[br]the yellows. 0:08:49.080,0:08:50.440 That created problems, 0:08:50.440,0:08:54.040 because when people start[br]looking at it as textiles, 0:08:54.040,0:08:56.480 the tendency is for them to stop 0:08:56.480,0:08:59.200 looking for any meaning[br]beyond that. 0:09:01.840,0:09:04.000 What are bottle caps?[br]Liquor. 0:09:04.000,0:09:07.400 How did liquor[br]come into my culture? 0:09:07.400,0:09:08.904 And what does it mean? 0:09:10.600,0:09:13.200 Three continents[br]has something to do with 0:09:13.200,0:09:17.200 the initial ideas that I had[br]about bottle caps. 0:09:17.200,0:09:21.640 When the European traders came[br]to Africa for the first time, 0:09:21.640,0:09:23.858 they brought items[br]to trade with, 0:09:24.680,0:09:25.838 things like drink, 0:09:27.020,0:09:28.160 because, eventually, 0:09:28.160,0:09:32.600 drinks were exchanged for slaves[br]who were brought to America 0:09:32.600,0:09:36.080 to grow more cotton[br]and sugarcane 0:09:36.080,0:09:40.116 to make more drink[br]and then ship to Europe. 0:09:43.920,0:09:47.120 So the idea of three continents,[br]you know, 0:09:47.120,0:09:53.204 and how drink was a link factor[br]between the three. 0:10:01.040,0:10:03.600 When I started working[br]with these bottle caps, 0:10:03.600,0:10:06.120 I thought it was gonna be[br]a very short run. 0:10:06.120,0:10:07.920 Then as time went on, 0:10:07.920,0:10:12.171 I saw that the possibilities[br]are just endless. 0:10:16.360,0:10:18.880 Initially, I wasn't[br]concerned with color. 0:10:18.880,0:10:21.104 Now I'm concerned with color[br]like a painter. 0:10:22.800,0:10:28.486 Even the modes of display,[br]they are beginning to expand. 0:10:29.360,0:10:33.120 They happen to be displayed[br]predominantly on the wall. 0:10:33.120,0:10:33.680 [laughs] 0:10:33.680,0:10:35.840 But it could be on anything. 0:10:35.840,0:10:37.295 It could be on the floor. 0:10:38.534,0:10:43.966 I've showed a couple of them[br]on hedges, you know, on plants. 0:10:45.200,0:10:47.000 You know,[br]the concerns of a sculptor 0:10:47.000,0:10:49.200 and the concerns of a painter 0:10:49.200,0:10:53.742 are inherent[br]in each of the works that I do. 0:10:57.880,0:11:01.640 I went to Nigeria[br]because I had an appointment 0:11:01.640,0:11:03.840 to teach in the university. 0:11:03.840,0:11:07.951 I've lived in Nigeria[br]about 36 years now. 0:11:11.960,0:11:14.000 My assistants are young men 0:11:14.000,0:11:17.200 from around the vicinity[br]of the studio. 0:11:17.200,0:11:19.760 Basically, these are people[br]who just finished high school 0:11:19.760,0:11:22.783 and awaiting[br]entry into university. 0:11:23.760,0:11:24.840 It takes quite some time 0:11:24.840,0:11:28.960 for people to pass[br]the university entrance exam. 0:11:30.760,0:11:34.440 And so while they are waiting[br]and preparing for that day, 0:11:34.440,0:11:36.440 find time to help me[br]in the studio 0:11:36.440,0:11:38.043 and earn some– a living. 0:11:38.840,0:11:40.440 Probably because I pay so well 0:11:40.440,0:11:44.100 that a lot of them do come[br]to ask whether they could help. 0:11:45.000,0:11:50.440 Anybody I bring in has to[br]undergo some basic training 0:11:50.440,0:11:54.040 on how to stitch[br]the pieces together, 0:11:54.040,0:11:55.516 some basic skills. 0:12:00.440,0:12:02.640 The whole process[br]and end product 0:12:02.640,0:12:06.040 all have to do with freedom,[br]flexibility, you know. 0:12:06.040,0:12:08.600 so right from the instructions[br]they, you know– 0:12:08.600,0:12:12.440 you leave a lot of room[br]for people to play around. 0:12:12.440,0:12:18.818 So the resulting work tends[br]to have that flexibility in it. 0:12:21.342,0:12:23.460 Basically, I work in this way[br]that– 0:12:23.460,0:12:25.480 where I pick a medium[br]or a process, 0:12:25.480,0:12:29.160 and I work with it[br]for a long period, years. 0:12:29.160,0:12:34.360 And it has to take something[br]more powerful or more demanding 0:12:34.360,0:12:36.587 to really take me away from it. 0:12:38.720,0:12:40.040 At the back of my mind, 0:12:40.040,0:12:43.640 I'm seriously looking out[br]for anything 0:12:43.640,0:12:47.920 that can come and displace this. 0:12:47.920,0:12:48.520 [laughs] 0:12:48.520,0:12:52.000 But it would take something[br]really strong to do that, 0:12:52.000,0:12:54.240 because I find that each day 0:12:54.240,0:12:57.200 I go into handle[br]these bottle caps, 0:12:57.200,0:12:59.556 they keep generating[br]fresh ideas. 0:13:03.360,0:13:07.280 I lived with my maternal uncle[br]in a different town 0:13:07.280,0:13:09.080 from where my father 0:13:09.080,0:13:13.173 and the rest of my brothers[br]and sisters lived. 0:13:15.640,0:13:17.400 And so I had[br]very little exposure 0:13:17.400,0:13:22.141 to the textiles tradition[br]that was very strong with them. 0:13:23.760,0:13:25.080 And in art school, 0:13:25.080,0:13:27.120 we were introduced[br]to all the areas of art. 0:13:27.120,0:13:30.760 And the one that least[br]attracted me was textiles. 0:13:30.760,0:13:32.440 You know?[br][laughs] 0:13:32.440,0:13:38.480 But then– I find it intriguing[br]that what I do now is very much 0:13:38.480,0:13:41.480 aligned to– like me trying[br]to get away from textiles, 0:13:41.480,0:13:44.360 but textiles is following--[br][laughs] 0:13:44.360,0:13:45.840 following me. 0:13:45.840,0:13:47.143 I don't know. 0:13:52.360,0:13:54.720 I think the idea of recycle,[br]you know, 0:13:54.720,0:13:57.269 I've always kicked against it. 0:14:00.520,0:14:03.920 Recycling has to do[br]with the industrial process, 0:14:03.920,0:14:05.267 And that's not what I do. 0:14:07.400,0:14:10.440 I don't, for instance,[br]retain the bottle caps 0:14:10.440,0:14:12.501 back as bottle caps. 0:14:14.480,0:14:15.880 Yeah, you know, a new life. 0:14:15.880,0:14:21.320 And make them not objects[br]that do something utilitarian, 0:14:21.320,0:14:24.002 but objects of contemplation. 0:14:28.680,0:14:35.100 [metal clinking] 0:15:02.956,0:15:05.716 - Here we go.[br]Come around here like this. 0:15:08.040,0:15:09.707 Go like that. 0:15:13.280,0:15:16.160 Okay, it's a very long–[br][laughs] 0:15:16.160,0:15:17.267 It's a very long route. 0:15:17.267,0:15:18.956 Okay, so let's start from here. 0:15:20.760,0:15:23.920 Actually, the river[br]should be emptying out. 0:15:23.920,0:15:25.630 and then the source should be–[br]- Coming out-- 0:15:26.838,0:15:29.532 - In the middle of, yeah. 0:15:31.331,0:15:33.501 So this one's come. 0:15:36.200,0:15:37.960 This is called Digital River. 0:15:37.960,0:15:42.160 And it's composed of digits,[br]you know. 0:15:42.160,0:15:48.480 And so it compels one to always[br]try to play around with it. 0:15:48.480,0:15:49.617 - This way. 0:15:55.040,0:15:59.880 It should begin to swing back...[br]Yeah. 0:15:59.880,0:16:04.024 So that it would end[br]maybe somewhere here. 0:16:06.800,0:16:09.480 The rivers flow.[br]They do change their course. 0:16:09.480,0:16:12.240 And you know,[br]they cut out oxbow lakes. 0:16:12.240,0:16:13.809 And all kinds of things and– 0:16:14.709,0:16:20.480 you know, I think my work has[br]principally been about change, 0:16:20.480,0:16:26.920 You know,[br]and nonfixity of things. 0:16:26.920,0:16:30.600 You know,[br]the fact that things are there, 0:16:30.600,0:16:33.320 and they have to grow old[br]and change 0:16:33.320,0:16:35.135 and do all kinds of things,[br]you know. 0:16:36.600,0:16:38.712 It's not because I'm old now. 0:16:38.712,0:16:40.597 [laughs]