“Just as none of us is outside or beyond geography, none of us is completely free from the struggle over geography. That struggle is complex and interesting because it is not only about soldiers and cannons but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings.”
Edward W. Said, Culture and Imperialism
Shashe river at Tuli, from Google Earth 
Shashe river at Tuli, from Google Earth
I am not sure exactly where this line of posts will lead. It is my intention over the next few uploads, to discuss the beginnings of the work that has occupied me so far this year, and the some of the ideas and concepts underpinning these. I am looking backwards as I write, because already my ideas and work are some distance from these beginnings and the initial thoughts that will follow. It is my hope to write a series of shorter posts over the next months as I work through my ideas and the way they manifest themselves within the work.
Within recent works, there is the carrying forward of the materials that have occupied me for a few years, such as mud, wood, wire, aluminium, paper and nails (see Legacy: The Red Fence, (2017)), references to territory, land, power and conflict, but also the introduction of new media derived from the concepts. I am continuing to interrogate aspects of territory, boundaries and structures, but turning my focus to the perimeter of Zimbabwe. The manner in which these boundaries were drawn, have come to be accepted and have agency on the present nation-state is a vast, complex and multi-layered field of enquiry, and there is a need to treat it with sensitivity.
The initial works in progress are labour intensive, but I am happy with the results so far. For now, a few sketchbook pages.
Sketchbook images
Greg Shaw,
6 April, 2021
Greg Shaw 