Archive-in-Waiting
Can a decentralized, semi-automated archival system effectively document repatriation data of the Benin Bronzes—a collection of over 4,000 secular and sacred artifacts looted from Benin Kingdom (present day Edo, Nigeria) in 1897? A century later, efforts to reclaim the artifacts from 160 Western museums have resulted in the return of approximately 64 of the 4,000 looted objects. The Nigerian government, now entrusted with the returned artifacts, has yet to publicly disclose details of each object. This documentation gap is further exacerbated when Western museums erase public records of the returned artifacts. Where, then, does one access information about the returned objects? To address these questions, the Metadata Memoir employs a smart contract that automates the real-time documentation of returned Benin Bronzes using data from news APIs. This blockchain-based archive ensures transparency as it creates a publicly accessible and verifiable provenance of returns.
Metadata Memoir, Photo: Minne Atairu
Metadata Memoir, Photo: Minne Atairu
Bio
-
Photo: Gola DanaMinne Atairu
NG
Minne Atairu is a researcher and interdisciplinary artist interested in generative artificial intelligence. Utilizing AI-mediated processes, Atairu’s work critically examines and illuminates understudied gaps in Black historical archives. Atairu‘s academic research focuses on Generative AI, Art and Educational policy in urban K-12 Art classrooms. She has exhibited at The Shed, New York, Frieze, London, The Harvard Art Museums, Boston; Markk Museum, Hamburg; Fleming Museum of Art, Vermont.
Credits
Presented in the context of the STARTS4Africa project. STARTS4Africa has received funding from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology under grant agreement No. LC-01960720.
