The Rosetta Stone Was Taken From Egypt. This Artist Took It Back

When Chidi Nwaubani started dreaming up a new art project during the COVID-19 lockdowns, his first step was to consult a lawyer. “I was like, ‘Wait, is this actually legal? Can someone do this?’” explains the Nigerian-British artist and designer.

Nwaubani wanted to know if he could create a digital form of the Rosetta Stone — now housed in the British Museum after being taken from Egypt in 1799 by Napoleon’s troops, then seized from the French by the British as a “spoil of war”.

How can we steal back something that was already stolen? Is that even possible?

The lawyer told him that reusing an image of the stone would be illegal — the museum owns the image — but its terms and conditions permit 3D scans. “It’s funny, it was a legal investigation that led to the actual final concept.”

Stealing back the aura

Under the collective name Looty, Nwaubani and fellow artist Ahmed Abokor walked into the British Museum and took a LiDAR scan of the stone on an iPad Pro. They cleaned it up with 3D tools, and had a digital canvas of the Rosetta Stone.

Soon after, they flew to Egypt and used geo-located augmented reality — the tech behind Pokémon Go — to put it back. Anybody who visits Rashid can now use their phone to see the digital recreation standing exactly where the Rosetta Stone once did.

I’m trying to steal back the aura, the soul of this artefact. Now and forevermore, it will be there in its position.

It isn’t an exact replica of every bump and scratch, and Nwaubani is the first to admit it. “That isn’t the point. We’re trying to take the agency away from the museum and bring it back to the people.”

The return of story

While restitution battles continue for the Benin Bronzes and the Parthenon Marbles, Nwaubani leaves the physical objects to governments. “My aim is not for the physical to come back. My process is about the return of agency, the return of power, the return of story.”

The work didn’t end with the Rosetta Stone. Looty has scanned other African artefacts — a brass Oba head taken from Benin — worked with artists in war-torn Sudan, and built virtual museums that place artefacts back in their original homes. “It’s not just a Nigerian story or an African story. It’s a global story of conquest.”