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Wie Kan Zijn Noodlot Dwingen? (2019-2020)
What’s in a name? What legacy does a once seemingly innocent Dutch dessert, formerly known as the moorkop—a chocolate-glazed choux pastry—carry, when its name is rooted in racial slurs? In Wie Kan zijn noodlot dwingen?, Caner draws attention to the construction and persistence of societal and ethnic divisions, often hidden in everyday language and imagery. Through the use of motion capture technology, Caner brings to life a ghostly apparition of this dessert, giving it a voice to recite lines from Shakespeare’s Othello in old Dutch. This juxtaposition highlights the clash between the seemingly harmless nature of a sweet treat and the weight of its historical implications.
Originally used during the Middle Ages to designate indigenous Amazigh people, the term moorkop has, over time, been weaponized to marginalize and label people of North African descent as Europe’s “Other.” The ghostly pastry, now an active protagonist, speaks and sings about these deep-seated stereotypes while also reflecting on contemporary debates in Dutch media surrounding the name change to chocoladebal.
This video work challenges viewers to confront the prejudices embedded in representation and language, inviting them to question the layers of meaning carried by a name. It offers a space for reflection on how, even in something as simple as a pastry, historical biases continue to shape the way individuals and communities are perceived in society.