Phosphorus (P in the periodic table) is known as the element of growth. It exists in all forms of life; in plants, animals and humans. It helps the bodies of the living things to grow. Building up on my previous artistic research and my interest in phosphate and its fate, (PHOSfate: a collaboration between Sahrawi artist Mohamed Sleiman Labat and Finnish artist Pekka Niskanen) I find it extremely important to explore the layers of how phosphate and the element of phosphorus shapes much of life around us, socially, politically and ecologically. My previous work has investigated the impact of phosphate on two different environments, the Western Sahara and the Baltic sea. Processed phosphorus is used to fertilize agricultural lands in different parts around the world but it often leaks to the waterways and creates eutrophication. Algae feeds on excess phosphorus and causes oxygen depletion and other ecological damages.

Part of my current research is to move from the macro scope of global impacts of the phosphorus on ecosystems and geographies, in order to zoom in to a new territory within the living things, human and non-human. Phosphorus Garden will help me explore the micro scapes, the inner territories within the living things, especially in plants and seeds.
I will use the residency to explore the materiality of the living things in Algiers. I will collect tree branches, dead trees and different kinds of seeds, I will use phosphorus based luminescent paint, also known as glow-in-the-dark paint to create luminescent sculptures of trees, seeds and other living things which will glow in the dark and bring to life the strong presence of phosphorus in these living things and how important it is in life around us. For the final exhibited, I envision, an illuminated garden installation of tree sculptures and murals (depending on the exhibition spaces provided by the institution). Exhibited in a dark room , the laminating sculptures will invite the visitors to the inner world of the plants and seeds, as if the interior of the plants and seeds is turned inside out. During the residency I hope to develop conversations with farmers, agriculturalists and bio artists with whom I can have conversations to further explore the micro and macro scopes and scapes of phosphorus, plants and agriculture. Life of P will illustrate the life cycles of phosphorus across the bodies of the living things.

The art residency at Dar Abdellatif brought together four artists from four African countries, invited to share the residence and finalize the residency with a group exhibition at The Grand Museum of Africa, Algiers.

Amy Sow from Mauritania, Pipeuh Ybt Balayara (Pipeuhart) from Senegal, Lauriane Yougang from Cameroon, and myself.

Project Info:

Multimedia Installation
Tree branches
Different kinds of seeds (collected during the residency)
Sounds of insects and birds from the surroundings of Dar Abdellatif.

Location:
Dar Abdellatif Residence, Algiers

Le Grand Musée de l’Afrique, Algiers

Video of the installation at Le Grand Musée de l’Afrique