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This project which had its genesis in 1998 under a common agreement between Chilean Bureau of Mines and the
The History of Chilean Mining in a Mural
Alexander Sutulov, Precolombian Colonial Section (detail) of a mural at the University of Concepción, Chile
CONCEPCION, CHILE.-Soon to be inaugurated next August, 2005 is a 3 story high (H: 12.4MT x W: 8.0MT) digital mural at the University of Concepción, Chile, where in an unprecedented manner; the artwork encompasses the history of Chilean mining from pre-Columbian period (c. 2.200 B.C.) to contemporary times.
The author, visual artist Alexander Sutulov, based his iconographic study in a thesis of how early metallurgical activity in the Andean world where the oldest evidence of work in copper was Mina Perdida near Lima, Peru during the Initial Period (2.000 – 900 B.C.) had a direct impact in the development of Chile as one of the mayor mining countries in the world. Contrary to common knowledge where gold and silver is usually associated to pre-Columbian cultures, it was not until a more complex metallurgy developed with the use of copper and its alloys allowed pre-Colombian civilization unfold to its full dimension. Paradoxically, today we are confronted to environmental issues where our empirical knowledge in copper production is a key aspect in finding viable solutions in clean technologies with by-products such as sulphuric acid in order to prevent a complete global collapse.
In this respect, the History of Chilean Mining Mural is a reminder of what lies ahead of us, where critical decisions have to be taken. Generally speaking, our historical relationship to the richness of a mineral world is of complete mystery to the majority of human population and yet our global economy and life quality are intimately related to this phenomenon.
The two sections of the mural regarding historical and mineral processes, brings forward the archetypes of each historical period such as the Bronze Age, Spanish Conquest, Colonial Period, Industrial Revolution, etc. In the case of mineral processes, the model of reference was “El Teniente” which is the biggest underground mine in the world today. With more than
The legacy of mining history is one to be considered and foremost, reconciled in order to be able to confront an uncertain future of non-renewable natural resources. The work presented by Alexander who emerges from a digital language, constitutes a new genre in itself, where the established dialogue is a propositional one. All previous pictorial medium have been somehow synthesised onto an “electronic substrate” where the final result is the sum of simultaneous episodes. This sort of parallel thinking emphasises our own present nature, where “reality” is perpetually moving from tangible to virtual or visa versa. Most important is the idea of “imagery coexistence” which permeates throughout the telling of a story.
A sense of enthusiasm is perceived amongst the people who were directly or indirectly involved with the project, this notion of belonging is a positive sign at a time where cooperation is indispensable. The long-term objective is to make this experience extensive to the rest of the world through a travelling show and hopefully similar initiatives will be taken in other countries in terms of recognizing the power of art at the service of human achievement.
WEBWIRE – Monday, November 28, 2005
Art at the service of human achievement
Recently inaugurated History of Chilean Mining digital mural at the University of Concepción is an assertive discourse for the mining sector.
Long has been the notion to translate our thoughts into physical form so others may understand it. In spite of dramatic changes throughout human history and condemnation of pictorial language as far as the Iconoclast period (c.
We are not surprised to discover why a small country like Chile became the first producer of copper in the world in 1876 with 42% of world production and with the largest copper reserves until today, which amount to an outstanding 38% of global copper deposits. These facts together with the particular mining infrastructure of Chile lingered to long-term empirical knowledge has captivated a consensual view of how the mining industry and foremost, mining economy carries an enormous responsibility in terms of viable solutions to the future prospects of environmental issues.
Today we have created a niche for the mining world in the cultural arena through the discourse of digital art and most important, the idea of art at the service of human achievement. Long has been the alienation of epic history and heroic acts in a confrontational era such as modernism, nevertheless the lack of identity through the exacerbation of the mundane is paying a high cost when complete realities have submerged under the power of immediacy.
Not in vain has been the discourse of Alexander in the past 10 years where an underground world has astonishingly reemerged through the meaning of symbol and colour. The global community is invited to be participative and become each day more familiarized to hidden worlds which ultimately constitutes our safeguards to an uncertain future of ecological equilibrium. If we turn our backs to the fundamentals of human existence of how it has transformed the richness of nature in order to create a second nature, more difficult will be our task to understand the consequences and model our future existence.
In this regard, Alexander's mining mural opens a new window where our involvement as viewers of a complex reality becomes apprehensive and revealed not from a heroic or epic standing point, but from a human experience of censoring the governance of an underground world which affect our daily life's in every way possible. A tribute which cannot be taken for granted, on the contrary this are signs of awareness where human will and conviction must recapitulate in order to render the assertiveness of a sustainable life quality and our empathy with our surrounding which redefines our essential humanity.
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