Sue Williamson
One Hundred and Nineteen Deeds of Sale
Originally created for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2018, One Hundred and Nineteen Deeds of Sale exposes the history of 119 individuals enslaved by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 17th century India and transported to Cape Town to work on the construction of the Castle of Good Hope and the Company's Gardens.
Williamson examined the sales deeds of the enslaved individuals, transferring their personal information onto cotton work garments imported from India, reminiscent of the original journey. In Cape Town, the shirts were part of a performance where historical narratives were recited, and the garments were submerged in a tub of muddy water, symbolizing the hard labour the enslaved people were forced to endure, before being hung on washing lines in the kitchen and forecourt of the Castle.
From there, the garments traveled to India, where they were washed in a public laundry house in Kochi, a city colonized by the Netherlands. Now, the shirts have journeyed to Amsterdam, claiming space in a multi-installation at Museum Van Loon. The shirts are laundered in the workspaces, hung in the garden to dry before being folded and finding their place in one of the bedrooms of the house.
One Hundred and Nineteen Deeds of Sale
Originally created for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2018, One Hundred and Nineteen Deeds of Sale exposes the history of 119 individuals enslaved by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 17th century India and transported to Cape Town to work on the construction of the Castle of Good Hope and the Company's Gardens.
Williamson examined the sales deeds of the enslaved individuals, transferring their personal information onto cotton work garments imported from India, reminiscent of the original journey. In Cape Town, the shirts were part of a performance where historical narratives were recited, and the garments were submerged in a tub of muddy water, symbolizing the hard labour the enslaved people were forced to endure, before being hung on washing lines in the kitchen and forecourt of the Castle.
From there, the garments traveled to India, where they were washed in a public laundry house in Kochi, a city colonized by the Netherlands. Now, the shirts have journeyed to Amsterdam, claiming space in a multi-installation at Museum Van Loon. The shirts are laundered in the workspaces, hung in the garden to dry before being folded and finding their place in one of the bedrooms of the house.