My final plan for the book is to stay with the concertina format where each side is used to display a different thing. The first side will illustrate 'An Ancient Dogon Story' where the Dogon creation myth will be portrayed that explains how and why their artefacts are made. The second side will illustrate 'A Modern Dogon Story' where issues of exploitation, illegal trading and production of non-authentic artefacts will be explored. 

Following my visit to the Pitt Rivers I started researching Dogon artefacts in museums. This article by Dr. Kwame Opoku picks up on some of the things I noticed at the museum in his review of the exhibition 'Dogon' at the Musee du Quai Branly in France, especially the fact that tribal objects are commonly displayed under dim lighting.

 'Could it be that these exhibitions, usually organized by ethnologists or persons greatly influenced by anthropological writings want to reinforce the idea that Africa is a dark continent with mysterious ways of life and cultures? European visitors who visit these exhibitions could hardly avoid concluding that African culture and Africa represent darkness and obscurantism whilst Europe and European culture represent light and enlightenment. The moment the average visitor enters an African exhibition she is plunged into darkness; her senses are invaded and she is made to feel she is in an obscure world, at the mercy of unknown spirits and dangerous objects and creatures. Is that what the curators seek to achieve? Have these curators been following Hegel and the racist philosophers of the so-called European Enlightenment?'

The article also suggests that there are more Dogon artefacts in European museums than in Malian museums and questions how some of them got there. Due to poverty and corruption, Mali has struggled to regulate the exporting of Dogon artefacts to the rest of the world. Dr. Opoku suggets that some objects may have arrived at the Musee du Quai Branly via illegal means. The author also notes that for some Africans, visa restrictions mean that they may be unable to travel to visit the objects in the museums.

The articles I have read about Mali and the demand for Dogon artefacts from dealers, collectors, museums etc has really inspired me to illustrate a story about this in order to inform people about what is going on and how one country's culture is under major threat.

I recently visited the Pitt Rivers museum to do research for my dissertation as the museum holds a large collection of ethnographic objects. I was really struck by the layout of the display cabinets. Firstly, the objects were not displayed according to origin like in most museums but by what kind of object they were, for example instruments or masks. Secondly, each cabinet was so crammed full it was hard to focus on any one piece. This display really did look like a collection, none of the objects seemed to have an elevated status of 'artwork' as they can do in some museums. The room was very dimly lit and so from an aesthetic point of view, the displays seemed a little underwhelming. I thought this was very interesting as the museum felt more like a cabinet of curiosities than an informative or artistic display. In relation to my work about the Dogon artefacts, this shows how all authenticity, meaning and purpose surrounding them are immediately lost when displayed in European museums. Perhaps in Malian museums the objects would be displayed as a celebration of culture and heritage but here the objects were presented as curios and this arrangement frankly felt a little racist.

A rough plan for my zine is to use a concertina format where one side has a guide to tribal objects from one or more tribe and then the reverse side has the myths/stories behind them illustrated. I'm not sure whether to focus on one tribe or maybe make a few short concertinas about a group of tribes and then bundle them together.

I found another interesting article from Smithsonian magazine relating to Mali's threatened heritage  that can be read here. In this article Joshua Hammer goes into detail about how the demand for West African artefacts has lead many of it's antiques to being smuggled out the country illegally and the production of non-authentic objects has soared. It seems that while Western art dealers and collectors are buying and selling genuine objects for millions, the African dealers are playing them at their own game by circulating non-authentic objects. Today it is hard to judge which artefacts were produced using traditional methods hundreds of years ago and which ones were produced in the back streets of Ghana just yesterday. 

A selection of Dogon masks used in dances and rituals.

Wooden carved statue of Dogon primordial couple. It is believed that four half amphibian, half human couples or Nommo people, descended from heaven up Earth on a granary and brought with them all forms of life.

I found a really interesting article on the BBC News website about tourism in Mali, the main attraction being Dogon country, and whether it is more beneficial or detrimental. The article can be read here. The Dogon people have lived almost completely isolated from the world in the central plateau of Mali but new roads have made the area more accessible and therefore it has become a major tourist attraction. Joan Baxter explains how tourism to Mali is rising by 4% every year and 82,000 people head to Dogon Land. The Sigui dance of the masks is used as an example to portray how tourism is affecting the culture of the Dogons. It is performed in high secrecy every 60 years but can be seen being performed for tourists every day. The article goes on to explain how Mali then faces a dilema as it needs tourism for its economy but at the same time it is a major threat to the heritage of the Dogon people.

At first I was finding it hard to find a reason and a solid context for making a book about the Dogon tribe but the damaging effects of tourism and issues of exploitation provide a solid theme. I would like my book to both educate people about the art work of the tribe and what is happening to them today.

My initial idea for the zine/book was to produce illustrations of tribal objects along with some information about where they come from and what they are used for. However, after reading more about the Dogon tribe in Mali I have become more focused on them as their heritage seems to be really under threat. When searching for images of African tribal objects, the majority seem to come from Dogon villages but the original images come from auctioning websites such as this one:

The expression on the man's face just oozes slimy salesman and it seems mad that these objects which are a vital part of Dogon life and spirituality have a price tag on them.

During my time at home over the summer I visited the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate. The exhibition 'Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing' was particularly relevent to my dissertation. The theme of the exhibition was collection and was curated in a way that made it really feel as if you were stepping into a cabinet of curiosities. It featured work from Thomas Grunfeld who uses taxidermy in a playful way, piecing together bits of different species, alongside old vicorian taxidermy from the Horniman museum. Objects from different historical periods were juxtaposed to create an exciting collection and a warped sense of reality. The exhibiton raised questions about whether we collect for pleasure or knowledge or for both. I was really pleased to see some original pages of writing and drawing from Leonardo Da Vinci but taken out of context, it was hard to understand what they were about. They took on a new meaning in the gallery space behind glass and under spotlights and of course, they were there solely because they had been created by Leonardo Da Vinci.

I particularly liked the work of artist Nina Katchadourian. Her project 'Seat Assignment' is a body of work created using whatever materials were to hand on 107 flights from 2010 to present. The series 'Self Portraits in A Flemish Style' was especially amusing.

This work demonstrates the playfulness of the exhibition collection and in this context, Katchadourian's photogrpahs became a thing of curiosity. 

More information about the exhibition can be found here: Curiosity: Art and the Pleasure of Knowing

 

Dogon ritual container. The double headed figure relates back to the creation myth in which four pairs of twins landed on Earth and brought life.

During my dissertation research, I came across this video about the Dogon tribe of Mali. They have been prolific in their production of ornate, wooden carvings and have attracted much attention from the West. This video raises issues of exploitation and loss of heritage as many Dogon artefacts are bought, or even stolen, and sold in the West for millions while the original artists see little of that money. Traditional carpentry methods are being left behind as the tourist industry has created a high demand for the cultural artefacts.

I found a great book in the library about Native American art and started drawing some masks inspired by the designs. 

I thought the images could work well in a zine as just line drawings but perhaps on the reverse there could be a full colour print of the masks that could be used as a poster. The reader of the zine could be encouaraged to colour in the line drawings.