THE PLANT
C-Print, 2014

“The Word Swastika derives from the sanscrit svastika  (in Devanagari स्वस्तिक) whose meaning is “priviledged” or “fortunate object”, and in particular a mark done on persons and objects to denote good luck. It is composed of su –(related to the greek  ευ-, “eu”, which means “well”, “good”, and asti, an abstract verb which was the origin of “being”; swastika means “to be well”. The suffix –ka forms a diminutive, and swastika could be literally translated as “small thing associated with being well”.

The symbol of the swastika is one of the most ancient on Earth, and can be found in all religions and traditions, and in every continent”. (Taken from http://www.proswastika.org/.)

Later one, the swastika was taken as its own symbol by the Nazi regime and used all throughout Second World War. Its meaning began to be associated with war, discrimination and annihilation.

An example of this change of meaning is found in the Swedish electric company “ASEA”, founded in 1883 and whose logo was a swastika. At the beginning of the Second World War they evidently had to change their logo to avoid being associated with Hitler.

In Colombia the firm ASEA gave an electric plant as a donation to the County of Macheta, Cundinamarca, where it worked until the middle of past century. Now days in its place there is a restaurant called “The Plant”, where the Swedish equipments were left as a small museum.

This Project is a tribute to the original meaning of the Swastika.

(Special recognition to Elkin Calderón)