Sammy Baloji, Of the Moon and Velvet, 2022

Sammy Baloji is a multidisciplinary artist living and working between Brussels and his hometown of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His practice revolves around an ongoing exploration of the cultural, architectural, and industrial heritage of the Katanga region and, by extension, a broader examination of the impact of Belgian colonisation. His 2022 film, Of the Moon and Velvet, was created as part of ‘K(C)ongo: Fragments of Interlaced Dialogues. Subversive Classifications’, a research project he initiated in 2016. This ongoing project draws from the collections of various museums worldwide, investigating how colonial-era classifications of African artefacts and histories continue to shape contemporary understandings of cultural heritage and identity. As part of Blue Screen #12, we are delighted to present Sammy Baloji’s film Of the Moon and Velvet (2022), which will be available to view online during the month of October.

Blue Screen: Can you tell us about your film Of the Moon and Velvet?

Sammy Baloji: Of the Moon and Velvet (2022) is part of a larger research fellowship I was carrying out in Florence, Italy, at the time. The film documents the production of bronze sculptures I had been making since 2017, which begin with photographic negatives of textures found in Congolese fabrics – over 20 examples of which are kept in the Museum of Civilizations in Rome. Through 3D printing fabric casts and fusing copper and tin, I aim to render this pre-colonial Congolese craft that was largely lost during the Atlantic slave trade. By drawing upon both past and present processes, I look to weave together the precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial experiences as part of an ongoing, interlaced tapestry.

BS: Where does the title come from?

SB: The title comes from a quote by Galileo Galilei in the early 17th century, which opens the film. After constructing the telescope and observing the moon, Galileo compared its surface and craters to velvet—a term that was also used to describe Congolese fabrics of the time. In the film, I also included a second quote by the Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco Pereira, who also refers to the velvet-like quality of Congolese fabrics. So, the title encapsulates these various layers of meaning, blending cosmic observations, European perceptions, and African material culture, inviting us to reflect on how Congolese practices were decentered and cast from a distance, much like the moon.

BS: During Blue Screen # 12, we will focus on a selection of your film and video works spanning from 2007 to 2024. In dialogue with your practice, we will show a selection of short films by Bianca Baldi, Sophie Sherman and collaborative project by yourself, Marjolijn Dijkman, Jean Katambayi and Daddy Tshikayaon. In the second part of the evening, you will share insight into your current research with us, which will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. Can you tell us a little about what you will share with us during the event?

SB: At the moment, I am researching a screenplay named ‘Il Padre Selvaggio’, which was written by Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1962; it is a screenplay of a film he never finished. The text explores the tribulations of the Congo through the encounter between an idealistic Italian teacher and Davidson, a Congolese student. Sixty years after it was written, this scenario seems to have a prophetic quality. During the screening event, I will share some archive material, writings, and music references I gathered while conducting this research.