'Glass Factory II' series from the 'Ghana Freedom' (2019) exhibition. Image Credit: Selasi Awusi Sosu
Selasi Awusi Sosu: Factory Tour
The “Factory tour” video is a black and white soundless video that uses the camera to explore the premises of the defunct glass factory in the hope of learning from the factory, picking up the pieces and discovering the ghosts and traces that linger on. The piece was birthed out of mixed emotions resulting from encounters with the defunct Aboso glass factory and the skeletal remaining caretaker staff. GIHOC Glass Company (G.G.C) was one of the state owned enterprises that thrived in Ghana after independence. The factory was commissioned by the first President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the year 1966 to produce sheet and hollow glass ware, a year before his overthrow. After continuous shutdowns and re-openings, the factory closed down again due to operational losses as a result of power outages.
A divestiture implementation committee (D.I.C) was established by the People’s National Defense Council (P.N.D.C). It legislated the P.N.D.C law 326, in the year 1993 to implement and execute all policies in respect of the divestiture of state owned enterprises (S.O.Es). The factory was diversified by the government of Ghana and leased to Tropical Metallic Construction Company Limited for a period of twenty years. The factory traded under the name Tropical Glass Company (T.G.C) until it finally shutdown in 1998 awaiting a revival that has not happened yet. The factory is a symbol of the problems of Western intervention in economies like Ghana’s, and a reminder that the stories of industrial sites around the world are intertwined.
Factory tour 1 is a black and white image of an aerial view of the then newly built glass factory, with a reflection of a glass wall beside the stairs leading upstairs to the manager's office. An image of 'the poetics of glass'.
Factory tour 2 is an image showing the end of the defunct railway track that enters into the factory carrying used glass and other production materials.
Factory tour 3 is an image of a defunct overhead conveyor belt in the production line at the factory.
Factory tour 4 is an image of a container full of broken amber glass bottles meant for recycling at the defunct factory.
Factory tour 5 is an image of an over 20year old stack of freshly made and packaged bottles that never left the factory to breweries in Ghana due to the shutdown.
Factory tour 6 is an image of abandoned water storage tanks at the factory.
“Glass Factory II” is an installation created for Ghana’s first pavilion at the 58th Venice biennale titled “Ghana Freedom”.
- Back to Selasi Awusi Sosu's "Glass Factory II" - Venice Biennale 2019