Card Against History
Composing Archipelago Edition
2021
Cards Against History invites participants to engage with the texts of Dutch navigator Abel Tasman (1603-1659) and the poetry of Hamzah Fansuri, a Sufi writer from the sixteenth to seventeenth century. This game encourages an unconventional reading of both texts, where players select a black card and fill in the gaps with answers from white cards. The black and white cards are displayed side-by-side on the wall.
The text on the white cards is derived from translations of Hamzah Fansuri’s Syair Perahu(The Song of a Boat), as translated by Johan Doorenboos in De Geschriften Van Hamzah Pansoeri (1933) and Burton Raffel in The Development of Modern Indonesian Poetry(1967). The black cards feature excerpts from the translation of Abel Janszoon Tasman’s journal (1642-1644), edited by J.E. Heeres (1898).
Installation View
This collaborative work with Raisa Kamila is part of the Composing Archipelagos project at Contemporary Art Tasmania, Australia, and is curated by Jasmin Stephens.
Additional Information
The text on the white cards is derived from translations of Hamzah Fansuri’s Syair Perahu(The Song of a Boat), as translated by Johan Doorenboos in De Geschriften Van Hamzah Pansoeri (1933) and Burton Raffel in The Development of Modern Indonesian Poetry(1967). The black cards feature excerpts from the translation of Abel Janszoon Tasman’s journal (1642-1644), edited by J.E. Heeres (1898).
Installation View
This collaborative work with Raisa Kamila is part of the Composing Archipelagos project at Contemporary Art Tasmania, Australia, and is curated by Jasmin Stephens.
Additional Information
- Game Concept: Participants read and interact with historical texts in a playful manner.
- Objective: To foster a deeper understanding of the historical narratives and cultural contexts of both writers through engagement and creativity.