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Heritage 继承

2024
HD colour video, stereo sound
Duration 19'51''

This video focuses on villages surrounding Morocco’s largest phosphate mine. The result of eight months of on-site research, my work examines a two-kilometer radius of industrial erosion as an observational sample. Captured in HDR, the film establishes a threefold system of visual contrasts: the morphological opposition between mechanized extraction infrastructures and organic landscapes, the chromatic conflict between cold industrial lighting and natural hues, and the temporal dissonance between the biological rhythms of livestock and the factory’s relentless production cycles. The multichannel soundscape layers mechanical vibrations, oral testimonies in the local dialect, and the low-frequency resonance of animal activity, creating an immersive experience that exposes the intrusion of industrial processes into traditional life.

 

Adopting an approach based on the concept of "toxic heritage," this work reveals the ecological debt caused by phosphate extraction. As a strategic resource for modern agriculture and the nuclear industry, phosphate is extracted through predatory practices that perpetuate a postcolonial model of dispossession, forcing local communities to bear the environmental consequences. The film captures the cognitive paradox of the villagers—both dependent on factory jobs and acutely aware of the existential threats posed by industrial expansion. Meanwhile, contaminated livestock serves as a biological indicator, forming an interspecies chain of testimony. These audiovisual elements come together to question how industrialization, within the framework of late capitalism, reconfigures ecological networks, fractures cultural legacies, and compels living organisms to redefine their survival strategies in the face of environmental crisis.

Special thanks to

Aisha, Siham and Fatima Ezzahrae.

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