|
||
WHAT
REMAINS - 2016
After being united back with his grandfather's
car in 2015, Ohiri and Hasan decided to travel together
to Nigeria in 2016 to attempt to bring Ohiri's car back
to the UK. Their intention was to travel to the ancient
City of Benin and have the car smelted into an art object.
This
action would allow the car to be reclassified from 'scrap'
to that of an 'artwork' preventing officials stopping the car from leaving Nigeria for
a second time on the basis of 'scrap metal laws'.
However, when they got to Benin City they quickly discovered
that the furnaces were not capable of melting steel and
would have to come up with another plan. With options
and time running out, Ohiri decides to dissect the car
into squares and reassemble them into three large patchwork pieces.
The resulting sculpture and documentary film both entitled 'What Remains'
symbolises a monumental journey in the cars life. Imported
from Europe in the 1950s, the car provided transportation
for Ohiri's family, witnessed the Biafra
War, survived a four-year captivity at a shipping port, before undergoing a series of physical transformations that enabled it to be transported to the UK in 2016.
Film Still, What Remains - 2016