Performing Luanda, 1999

A durational performance over a period of two weeks. Laser cut rubber letters, shoes. Installation photographs 30"x 40" edition of 2.

In a confluence of performance art and material intervention, this work unfolds as a durational performance executed over two weeks. Central to this artistic endeavor are laser-cut rubber letters affixed to the soles of the artist's shoes, spelling out "boundary" and "country." These words serve as literal and metaphorical imprints as the artist traverses various neighborhoods in Luanda, Angola. Over two weeks, walking leaves subtle but indelible traces of these words on the city's streets, transforming the urban landscape into both a canvas and a palimpsest. The choice of words— "boundary" and "country"—is particularly poignant, inviting a complex interplay of interpretations related to geopolitics, identity, and belonging. By imprinting these words onto the streets of Luanda, the performance raises critical questions about the demarcation of space, the fluidity of borders, and the socio-political implications of territoriality. It also engages walking as a performative and political act that can challenge, subvert, or reinforce existing spatial and social hierarchies.

This performance serves as a multifaceted inquiry into the politics of space, movement, and identity. By employing the act of walking as a form of social and spatial inscription and choosing words that resonate with complex geopolitical realities, the artwork offers a nuanced critique of how boundaries—both literal and metaphorical—are constructed, negotiated, and experienced in the contemporary urban context.