Sand Drawings (notebook in progress).

Sand drawings are a tradition in the Vanuatu archipelago. These compositions, often very elaborate and complex, are created by running the index finger over a carpet of sand or ash. The finger must never return to the same line or leave the ground. A means of communication between the 80 language groups, the drawings are mnemonic devices for transmitting rituals, mythological knowledge and countless oral information on local history, cosmologies, kinship systems, song cycles, agricultural techniques, architecture, crafts or choreographic styles. Most sand drawings have several functions and levels of meaning: they can be read as artistic works, sources of information, illustrations for stories, signatures or simple messages and objects of contemplation. They are not simply Pictures but a combination of knowledge, song and story, imbued with sacred and secular meanings. For the past 30 years, Gilles Barbier has been exploring their complex compositions, recording them in a notebook. Revealing the secrets of their labyrinthine journey.