Fragments of Poti, 2015
Photographs, texts, newsprint
The project involved working with archive materials, local curators and cultural experts in Poti, Georgia, exploring the relationships between people in the city and the lesser known yet fascinating historical objects held in local collections. The work was presented as an installation at the theatre, using photographic and print media, the text constructed as a series of narratives of local knowledge and conversations.
In antiquity, Kolkhis on the Black Sea was the dominant ethnic and cultural presence in the region and played a significant role in the ethno-genesis of the modern Georgia - best known in the West for the story of the clash of cultures between Medea and the Argonauts. The Museum of Colchian Culture, housed in an Art Deco merchant building from 1907, has a remarkable collection of objects dating from 4th century B.C, serving a population of nearly 50,000 in this port city. The Museum provided access to collections and historical data, and helped promote the project through its networks. It is a close collaborator with anthropologists from the National Museum and the International Council on Historic Sites. Poti State Theatre is a new 800 seat theatre which opened in 2014, whose management team are interested in how to develop collaborative and interdisciplinary work. As part of the project, workshops are being held to ‘reimagine’ the museum, which is currently in very poor condition and in need of restoration. (For background information on Poti, read more in this post...)
Local co-ordination: Magda Nowakowska
Translations: Irine Barnabishvili
Partners: Museum of Colchian Culture and Valerian Gunia Poti State Theatre
Supported by the British Council and the Arts Council of England International Development Fund
View exhibition panels online with English and Georgian text
View as pdf - Georgian: ExhibitionGE
View as pdf - English: ExhibitionENG
View newsprint - Georgian: PotinewsGE
View newsprint - English: PotinewsEN