In Search of Vanished Blood (Variation IV)

In the central atrium of the Museum, the visitor is confronted with images projected over the marble statue of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's Consort, made by sculptor Matthew Noble in 1864. A man of progressive ideas, he led several social reforms and had a special interest in applying science and art to the manufacturing industry. The 'Great Exhibition of All Nations and Industries' held in London in 1851 was his brainchild. It spurred the foundation of many museums in the British Empire, including the BDL Museum, formerly known as the Victoria & Albert Museum. But the video work 'In Search of Vanished Blood', projected on the statue of Prince Albert, tells a completely different future of Modern Times, opening with film footage from WW1, followed by a world map with the USA in the centre, over which dramatic figures float forecasting apocalyptic times.

Inspired by a text from Christa Wolf's 1983 novel 'Cassandra', In Search of Vanished Blood describes the deteriorating Cassandra offers a way out of we would only listen and learn from the violence that has taken place in the past and create a new more humane situation. The video play creates a provocative environment whose imagery revolves around complex themes such as the curse of prophecy, the fatal position of women, and the failure of human communication.

The work was featured as part of the exhibition 'The Witness' by Nalini Malani. The exhibition was curated by Tasneem Zakaria Mehta and Johan Pijnappel. In this exhibition, Nalini Malani explored concepts and concerns that have preoccupied her for decades - notions of oppression and dominance, of freedom and justice.