Recovering Presence: A Dialogue on Repair and Resistance

Angelica Pesarini: Justin, we have known each other for almost ten years now and have collaborated in various ways.I am very excited to share this dialogue with you on a theme that lies at the core of our work and that also deeply connects with the topic of this special feature: the excavation of Black presence from the rubble of Eurocentric knowledge production.I would like to highlight three keywords to frame our conversation: recovery, repair, and reparation.These words are central to our work.And I would like to begin with the first, recovery.In Florence, Italy, after years of effort, we now have The Recovery Plan, a research center, cultural depository, and exhibition space for the arts, to which you have contributed significantly.It also functions as a library and archive for the study of Afro-descendent cultures.The Recovery Plan's website describes it as "a space for critical thinking to rectify historical inaccuracy and to recover histories that still await narration" (Recovery Plan).Could you elaborate on this aspect and share the journey that led you to create a space dedicated to recovery?