Лаборатория Re-Practice. Re-Engage with Nature

The Speculative Method For Liberating Suppressed Histories
The talk will cover three broad themes. It starts with the (i) entanglement of technology to indiginiety, (ii) the talk then addresses the question of techno-politics in parts of Africa. It will conclude with the (iii) utility of the speculative method as a way to valorise situated (‘indigineous’) knowledges from the south.
The talk will draw from three filmic works to address these themes, namely; Ifu Elimnyama (The Dark Cloud), Subterranean Imprint Archive and Dzata: The Institute of Technological Consciousness.
The talk will foreground the logics, the inspirations and theory behind the three projects. Through this sharing, the speaker attempts to showcase how artists who live with suppressed histories might think of their ontologies in relation to technology. The presentation will circle back and ask the group; what does this talk provoke you to think about, question and raise about your own locale in Almaty or Kazakhstan?
​Russel Hlongwane
Russel Hlongwane is a cultural producer based in Durban, South Africa. His work obsesses over the tensions in Heritage, Modernity, Culture and Tradition as they apply to black life. His practice includes artistic research, cultural production, design theory, writing, film, urban studies and curatorship. His film, Ifu Elimnyama, was awarded the Sharjah Film Platform Jury Prize (2019).
He is a member of working groups spread across the Southern African region and internationally.
The talk is held within Re-Practice.Re-Engage with Nature Laboratory.