Ignacio Acosta (CL, 1976)
Residency period: January – May 2020
Through the discovery of a Celtic sacrificial site at Le Mormont – a limestone and marl quarry located in the Swiss canton of Vaud – the two-channel video installation with surround sound Archaeology of Sacrifice unveils how the notion of sacrifice has transitioned from ancient sacred rituals to its contemporary meaning within extractive capitalism. Evidence suggests the Celts living there during the second century BC were going through a moment of crisis, perhaps linked to the Germanic invasion. Thus, they buried offerings in the form of human and animal bodies, tools and bronze vessels in exchange for guidance through the catastrophe.
Today, sacrifice is mediated by market exchange – the well-being of humans, non-humans and the environment has been betrayed in favour of economic growth. Sacrificial zones are proliferating in areas deemed most extractable, most exploitable – usually regions under pressure from neoliberal policies. Here, humanity and nature are believed to be expendable and replaceable.
Le Mormont’s excavated objects help archaeologists fiction a past, though almost certainly, the Celts did not intend for these remains to be uncovered. In archaeology, formulating past beliefs involves a delicate navigation between fiction and reality in which the lines are always blurred. Reconstruction will always be a representation. The project builds on this grey area in our own moment of current crisis, pushing for a more earthly understanding of prospective cohabitation whilst offering a reflective space for an unknown future.
In a continuous interplay between fact, fiction and scale, meditative landscapes of typically inaccessible areas are juxtaposed with archival footage, drone views, investigative close-ups and photogrammetry based 3D modelling. Whilst acknowledging the Anthropocene is built on an erasure of its racial origins, Archaeology of Sacrifice reflects on the precariousness of our planet and its unsolicited submission to humanity.
Based in London, Ignacio Acosta addresses through photography and video, geopolitical power dynamics in relation with the exploitation of natural resources. His closely linked projects in South America and Scandinavia entail in-depth documentation and field work as well as critical analytical and drafting efforts. Thanks to new image technologies, he develops visual narratives about ecosystems that are worn out by mining, and more specifically about activist movements against it.
Text: Ellen Lapper and Ignacio Acosta
3D rendering: Valle Medina and Benjamin Reynolds (Pa.LaC.e)
Video Still: Le crépuscule des Celtes by Stéphane Goël, Climage, 2007
Publication: Acosta I. (2020) Archaeology of Sacrifice, ZF Art Foundation Friedrichshafen AG and modo Verlag GmbH. Freiburg Germany. Photo by Hubert & Fisher 2021