Manzi
2018Installation with copper pipe, rotameter, dimensions variable.
A copper pipe is installed along the walls and floor through the room. Water runs through it - made visible by a Rotameter. The pipe aligns itself to an input and an output of the room. It is not visible where it originates and where it‘s heading to. The observer sees only a part of a larger system. „Manzi“ is Nyanja and translates as water. Nyanja is spoken in various regions of sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia. Manzi is a response to my examination of the relationship between Switzerland and Zambia.
Zambia is rich in mineral resources, has one of the largest copper deposits of all and is also one of the 20 poorest countries in the world. On paper, i.e. in terms of trade volume, Switzerland is the largest importer of Zambian copper. In terms of physical quantities, hardly any copper ever enters Switzerland.
