This, of course, is a work of the imagination

Copyright artist(s) and courtesy argos

Artist(s)

Year

2017

Duration

Original format

DIGITAL FILE

Color

col. and b&w

Color system

PAL

Availability

Distribution
Collection

In 1917 the Steamship Mendi sailed towards the English Channel and France. On board was a battalion of South African labour troops. In the early morning, in fog, the ship was rammed by another boat and sinks within twenty minutes. 600 men drowned. A legend evolved around the last moments of the men and the manner in which they faced their death.
Through animated film, video, spoken word and experimental sound Wendy Morris explores the boundaries of past and present, myth and reality.

This installation consists of six films:

1. Letter to Plaatje
2. Boardgame, or From the Ranks to Field Marshal
3. Wa van die Waters
4. To St Catherine's Point
5. The Legend is out there
6. Madi's Memorial