The Battle of Siracusa
".... perceiving that the earth is a form of writing, a geography of which we had forgotten that we ourselves are the authors." (Georges Perec, Species of Space).
The Battle of Siracusa(415-413BC) is an example of missplanning, ambition and what can go wrong in war, the Athenians tried to sack Siracusa in Sicily and despite greater numbers lost the siege and were enslaved to work in the quarries of Sicily where most of them perished under the harsh conditions. This projct plays on man and history, who writes history, geological history versus written history. The torn spines of old books embedded in the quarries of Sicliy like scars. Antique medical drawings of men's muscles superimposed on photographs of the caves in these quarries. The mediterranean sea so embattled in those historic times today a body of water that needs to be conquered to get to the promise of a better life. Ogolter himself built a ramp (the first of all tools) of stone in the sea before Sicily as a symbol of the futility of war.
