Living knowledges of the Endangered

Since june 2024, Ritvik Khushu and I started a large long term collaborative project; Living Knowledges of the Endangered. Read about what, why and how below.

About the project

We are researching the folk healing traditions in the Netherlands and its former colony Malabar (present day southwest India), and seek to aid in reinstalling disrupted knowledges and the socio spiritual frameworks they emerge from.

With the support of the Stimulerings start fund we will focus on collecting evidence, knowledge via experts and museums, stories, materials and making new connections. Diving into the history of the folk healing traditions of the communities of Malabar and of the healing traditions in the Netherlands, we will look into our colonial past as well as the history of medicine, the influences this had on both our lands,  and what is left of all of this for us to find.

The project is driven by a dire need to turn our attention toward indigenous voices in order to fundamentally adres issues of coloniality, socio-ecological breakdown and spiritual degration. We are also looking to offer stories that celebrate shared heritage and build bridges, to counteract the rising wave of socio-political polarisation across the globe. By amplifying Earth wisdoms, the project seeks to address a fundamental longing of the human spirit to return to nature, community and relational being.

As we are currently in the starting phase of the project, we are looking for collaborators, historians, botanists, artists and more experts linked to this project. Please contact us (information below) if you might have a lead.

Our main question:

What does it mean ‘to design’, ‘to archive’, and ‘to museum’ from the perspectives of the cosmological other?

“Ritvik Kushu – Living knowledges of the endangered
Het project Living knowledges of the endangered, geleid door fotograaf Jet Siemons en ontwerper Ritvik Khushu, vindt plaats in Nederland en in Malabar (het huidige zuidwesten van India). Dit project brengt archiefmateriaal, inzichten, verhalen, materialen en verbindingen samen. Hiermee hopen de projectpartners bij te dragen aan het herformuleren van 'verstoorde' kennis en de sociale en geestelijke context waarin deze kennis is ontstaan. Het project combineert dekoloniale theorie, een ontwerpvraag en gemarginaliseerde mystiek. Gericht op de vraag: wat zou het betekenen om te ontwerpen, te archiveren en te werken vanuit het perspectief van de kosmologische ander? Het project richt zich vooral op het documenteren, behouden en nieuw leven inblazen van inheemse genezingstradities en hun sociale en spirituele context. In de eerste fase wordt de basis van het project gelegd. Deze fase omvat het opbouwen van netwerken, het verzamelen van uitgebreid materiaal en het ontwikkelen van prototypes voor nieuwe archiveringsstrategieën.”

  • Ritvik Khushu

    DESIGNER & ARTISTIC RESEARCHER

    Ritvik Khushu (Bangalore, 1997) is a Kashmiri-origin artistic researcher and designer based in the Netherlands. Loss of land, memory - both ancestral and communal, and material worlds are recurring sensations in his work. His work as a researcher is situated at the intersections of heritage, memory, ecology and decolonial praxis. Inspired by the ancient living wisdoms he has grown up around, his work seeks to aid in the liberation of other(ed) imaginaries and worlding traditions..

  • Jet Siemons

    RESEARCH PHOTOGRAPHER

    Jet Siemons (The Hague, 1995) is a (re)search photographer focusing on myths, mysteries, the unseen & the forgotten. Through extensive investigation her projects take form; documenting ‘evidence’, following traces and maps, collecting archival material & objects. Playful interactions in both the analog and digital realm create poetic new narratives. One from the perspective of the unseen, challenging our collective memory. She does so by using techniques like drawing, sewing, collage making, and optical illusions. The goal is to enhance understanding, ignite our curiosity, and unveil hidden stories. Her stories balance between fiction and realism, investigating the grey areas of truth, and creating space for who was forgotten.

Contact us

Email

ritvik.khushu@gmail.com

hmg.siemons@gmail.com

Instagram

@ritvikkhushu

@jetsiemons

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Hannie & Billo - the found photo album project (2021-ongoing)