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The event is free to join. Just sign up beforehand via this link: https://cape.ku.dk/eng/calendar/2025/restoring-global-memories/ Join us for an afternoon of science and art exchanges on the connections between plant biology, local ecosystems, colonial continuities, and reimagined futures. CApE invites Edouard Ilunga wa Ilunga, professor of Botany at the University of Lubumbashi in DR Congo; Toshie Takeuchi, Copenhagen-based visual artist whose recent work centres on the history of the Shinkolobwe uranium mine in Katanga (DR Congo); and Martha Ann Fleming, associate professor (UCPH) and leader of the Natural History Museum of Denmark research project ‘Field/Work in the Archive: Herbaria as Sites of Cultural Exchange.’
About the event:
Metallophytes are plants that occur only on enriched metal soils because they can cope with high metal content in the soil. This unique flora represents an invaluable biological resource for the ecological restoration of soil disturbed by mining activities, and it can be used at mining closure for restoration purposes. Since colonial times until now, the exploitation of Congolese minerals has never stopped. 70% of the world’s cobalt comes from Congo. Prof. Ilunga, his university team, and their collaborating institutions conduct site-situated research with these endemic Metallophytes on ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems in Katanga.
The invitation of Professor Ilunga to CApE was initiated by the artist Toshie Takeuchi, who is conducting artistic research on the history of the Shinkolobwe mine and its complex connections to Japan. Shinkolobwe remains primarily overlooked in the context of the nuclear arms race and the current demand for critical minerals like cobalt. Takeuchi often reflects on the responsibilities towards the people of Congo and their indigenous land. She seeks to artistically and collectively reimagine potential futures for local Congolese communities and the many communities globally that have used or been affected by the mining. In the talk, she will discuss her collaborative project done with artists from the Congo and the USA, focusing on the erasure of the Shinkolobwe mine, the shared experiences of radiation exposure between Japanese and Congolese families, and her plans to incorporate the metallophytes of Katanga in her exhibition in Hiroshima.
There will be an exhibition with works by Toshie Takeuchi accompanying the talk.
The event will be followed by a small reception.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Læderstræde 20, 1201 Copenhagen, Denmark, Læderstræde 20, 1201 København K, Danmark,Copenhagen, Copenhagen , Denmark
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