Spirit in the Grid by Edem Dotse
Spirit in the Grid is a multimodal project that blends postcolonial studies, critical theory, and experimental art to explore the evolution of Ghanaian audiovisual culture through an Africanfuturist lens. Focusing on the tension between the Christian values imposed by British colonial rule and traditional Ghanaian belief systems, the project traces key moments in Ghana’s media history, particularly the video boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Through research, observation, and mythmaking, Spirit in the Grid examines how technological advancements have shaped spiritual and cultural identities in Ghana, culminating in a short film and multi-channel installation that bridges past, present, and future narratives. The project seeks to deepen understanding of the complex interplay between colonial legacies, technological shifts, and spiritual practices, while offering insights into broader themes of cultural identity, decolonization, and African futurism.
Artist Bio
Edem Dotse is an artist and practice-based scholar interested in the intersections between spirituality, cultural memory and mediated representation in contemporary society. Through an ever evolving set of approaches involving video and sound, his work attempts to interrogate and recontextualize African modes of thought and existence within an increasingly globalized media landscape. With a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and an MFA in Film & Media Production from the University of Texas in Austin, he now seeks to bridge the worlds of art and technology to educate and empower young minds to tell the stories of their communities in his PhD in Emergent Technologies and Media Art Practices at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His work has been presented at the British Film Institute in London, the OGU Mag Gallery in Tokyo, the Film Lincoln Center in New York, the OTHNI Laboratoire De Théâtre in Yaoundé, the New Orleans Film Festival and the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival in Glasgow.