STUDY OF POYAÏS
"Study of Poyaïs" is an ethno(graphic) fiction presented in two acts. First, the presentation of a graphic investigation on the controversial existence of the Poyaïs territory, through an atlas that gathers iconographic documentation. Then the revelation of one of the greatest scams of the 19th century, the invention of Poyaïs by Sir Gregor MacGregor in order to attract investors. This fiction questions the role of iconography in a fictional narrative and explores the modification of archival images and the creation of false artifacts.
The first chapter of "Study of Poyaïs" is based on a fictional iconography from archival images and mixed with several authentic publications. This edition deals with the territory of the Poyaïs, its borders, its fauna, its flora... But also the techniques and traditions of the Poppya people and the personalities who have studied this territory.
The second chapter of "Study of Poyaïs" is hidden behind the multiple presentation devices of this fiction. The back of the box that contains the main edition conceals a small collection of documents concerning the official history of the Poyais. In 1822, Gregor MacGregor, a Scottish soldier, returns from Central America and declares that he has been appointed Cacique of Poyais. He sold the lands of this "paradisiacal, extraordinarily fertile" territory to investors and settlers for more than ten years. But unfortunately, the Poyais never existed.
