Monument is a short film, performance and reflection on the entangled lives of buildings and bodies.
It looks at the relationship between buildings and the bodies that inhabit them through the enactment of an instructional artwork called ‘Body Pressure’ by artist Bruce Nauman. The piece invites you to press yourself very hard against a wall and consider what effect this has on your body. The last line of the artwork reads: “This may become a very erotic exercise”.
The film gives a reading of the sensual and feminine qualities of the Afrikaans Taal Monument in South Africa, overlooked by overt narratives of masculinity contained in the building's visitors brochure, declared symbolism and sweeping Brutalist spires.
A collaborative project by architect Meghan Ho-Tong, artist Matty Roodt and writer Lucienne Bestall.
Year: 2020