Expedition into a Volcano

Expedition into a Volcano is an immersive experience that takes the ‘exotic’ landscape suggested in the background of Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai to explore notions of scientific endeavour, colonisation, exploitation and extraction. Taking its title from an educational film made in 1962, found within The Box’s moving image archive, Expedition into a Volcano invites viewers on an audio-visual journey to consider the backdrop of Mai’s portrait and how this – and other idealised landscapes - have influenced cultural interpretations of ‘paradise’.

Chandra combines contemporary footage shot around Mt Edgcumbe with footage from The Box’s archives made in India, Africa, the Pacific and other parts of the colonised world. It highlights patterns present in the assumptions around the development and civilisation of the natural world and its (other) peoples, as presented by Europeans. Scientific endeavour, and ideas of expansion and exploration, are here seen as precursors to colonisation. By interweaving the archive material in this way, Chandra imagines a sense of discovery and wonder at new landscapes, animals and peoples, whilst also calling into question a desire to dominate and destroy.

The tropical, volcanic landscape Chandra is familiar with from her childhood in Australia and the Pacific is both a space to be desired and simultaneously feared and volcanic samples, from The Box’s Natural History Collections, are displayed on one wall. Collected from locations including the Pacific and Devon, they are a reminder of the practice of collecting and extraction from the natural world, associated with the building of empire.

The soundtrack comprises a combination of voices and sounds from archive films, accompanied by an original and experimental music score composed and played by Devon-based folk/ protest musicians Kimwei.

While exploring the economic, environmental and cultural damage of colonialism, Expedition into a Volcano also seeks to create a space for dialogue and reconciliation.

• https://www.mohinichandra.com/expedition...
• https://theboxplymouth.com/events/journe...
• https://britishportraits.org/blog/unders...