about CHAINS

This installation grows from the collaboration of African and American artists who have forged a new form to expose the post-modern context of tradition in the omni-present midst of multinational capitalism. The romantic notion of timeless tradition in isolation from modern society is long dead. You will hear the sounds of drum language and its spoken meanings. You will see video clips and stills from our performances in Ghana. You will be invited to add your voice to ours on the Coded Messages Graffiti Wall. You will be taken to pages in the far corners of the Web, objets trouves. Find them and return. Make the connections. Read the code. And we will bring it to you.

CHAINS Web is the second public manifestation of Coded Messages: CHAINS. CHAINS began as a group of performances in Ghana in 1994. The remote village of Anyako, the historic slave trade castle at Cape Coast, the University of Ghana at Legon, the international Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) -- all hosted our performances. From the live performances which gave Africans a fresh perspective on the "CHAINS of cybernet economy," and the historical role of tradition in social transformation, to this installation on the so-called World  Wide  Web, CHAINS juxtaposes sides of the singular context which are otherwise hidden from each other.