Exhibit display with documents, brochures, a camera, and a tablet on a illuminated table.

History of an Archipelago

I often dream of islands, a remote space where life can always begin anew, an opportunity to escape. Dreaming of islands is dreaming of the utopias they embody and all their irresistible literary projections of an earthly paradise. But it is also waking up to all of their impossibility.

Year: 2022

Materials: Paper, gypsum, cotton, vinyl, video

Dimensions: variable

Location: Sala Eugenio Mendoza. Caracas, Venezuela

A woman with blonde hair, wearing a denim shirt and a face mask, viewing documents and display materials on a backlit table in an art gallery.

History of an Archipelago presents the fictional history of a nation through collected artifacts, documents, and testimonies. Digital archaeology becomes a method for building alternative geopolitical narratives from imagined debris.

A backlit table displays objects that suggest the archipelago's rise and fall—tiles, textiles, maps, and forms that function as evidence of a place that may never have existed.

Video: Footage of charred debris floating on water as an AI voice narrates historical accounts of the archipelago.

Nautical map of Deception Islands showing surrounding waters, danger areas, and soundings in fathoms.

Nautical Chart: Showing the archipelago's islands and maritime hazards.

A box labeled 'West Indies Collection General Artifacts' contains a large piece of metal with a textured, crumpled appearance and a sheet of paper with printed data attached inside the lid.
A cardboard box on a table with a white label showing technical specifications, next to fabric samples, on a backlit glass surface. In the background, a projector and electrical outlets are visible.

Archipelago Fragment: Charred gypsum debris with melted acrylic fibers

A rolled black and white patterned blanket on a white table in a room with large windows, grey chairs, and natural light.
A fabric art piece with densely packed handwritten text in black ink on a white background, hung vertically on a white wall.
Textile sample and catalog box displayed in a museum or exhibit setting.

Archipelago Textile: Jacquard-woven textile depicting text from social media

Collection of official documents, including letters, forms, and identification cards, some with stamps and photos.
A collage of four infographic images with technical documents and aerial drone images, mostly in shades of pink, blue, and black.
  • Letter from the Embassy of the Democratic Archipelago, London, addressed to Gladwyn Jebb, Executive Secretary of the United Nations, relating to diplomatic communications and the country's admittance to the United Nations.
  • A typed letter from the United Nations Security Council, dated February 16, 2046, addressed to Mr. Pickuku, discussing a resolution about the admission of the Democratic Arch-6elago to the United Nations. It includes signatures, handwritten notes, and stamps.
  • Official document titled 'Enclosure' containing a declaration regarding membership in the United Nations for the Democratic Archipelago, signed by Nauj Odiaug.
  • A scanned document titled 'Letter dated June 5, 2060, from the Governing Board of Station The Democratic Archipelago' addressed to the Secretary-General, discussing a request for membership to the United Nations and referencing an annexed declaration.
  • Official UN document titled 'Application of The Democratic Archipelago (Station A, B, C, D) for admission to membership in the United Nations', dated June 16, 2050, issued by the General Assembly Security Council.

Archipelago Documents: UN recognition requests, microfiche with geographical data, and newspaper articles about manufactured islands.

A white table with various documents and a tablet displaying a digital decentralized ID, with a projector and various printed materials on display.
A digital form in Spanish titled "Identidad Digital Descentralizada" (Decentralized Digital Identity) with a QR code at the top right corner, a logo at the top left corner, and various fields for personal information such as name, email, location, document verification options, and storage preferences.
Person in a blue denim shirt holding papers over a backlit white table with a tablet on a stand and some printed documents on it.
Official document from the Dominican Republic's Civil Registry Office for renunciation of continental nationality, issued by the Consulate General's Station C, with official logos, spaces for date, month, year, and personal details of the individual.

Citizenship Records: Nationality resignation forms and digital citizenship applications for the archipelago.

A close-up view of an old hardcover book with a red cover, displayed on a white surface. In the background, there are papers, photographs, and a computer monitor.
  • Printed page showing HTML and CSS code, with a QR code at the top left, and page numbers 58 and 39 at bottom corners.
  • A scanned printed document with code snippets on the left page and a small image thumbnail link with title 'Portada de: To Fix' at the top, and on the right page some more code snippets with a small script.
  • Two pages of a printed document containing code snippets written in JavaScript. The code includes functions, event listeners, API calls, and comments related to analytics and data fetching.
  • Text and code snippets from a book or article about Herman Moll's map of the West-Indies, with references to the World Described by Moll and the University of Texas.
  • A scanned page with text and two QR codes, titled 'APPENDIX', containing links to various locations related to Nelson's Island and other historical sites, and a QR code on the right side of the page.
  • A photograph of two QR codes printed on paper, with text in a web page or article context surrounding them.

A-land: Bound volume of HTML code from online sources about the archipelago, with QR codes linking to archived websites.