https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/turner-prize-2018

I went to see Eyal Weisman speak at Oxford University. Forensic Architecture (his practice) are a research agency that undertakes investigations on behalf of international prosecutors and human rights organisations; producing architectural evidence as a tool for social justice.

This lecture focused on the conflict and displacement of Palestinian Settlements along the border. This was the investigation of the Umm Al Harin killings, which occurred during an Israeli Police raid on the Bedouin Village. The Israeli Government presented these murders as a terrorist attack upon the police who acted in self defense in an attempt to cover up their wrongdoing. However, upon further investigation their facts did not add up. Using 3D modelling software alongside footage with audio recovered from the scene they were able to prove the innocence of the victim, and undermine the Israeli Governments legal grounds for the killing of the Palestinian maths teacher, and their evidence will be used in a legal appeal against them.

Essentially, the police described the incident as a vehicle charging towards the Israeli Police and hence they had grounds to retaliate against him. However, with analysis of video, audio the physics of the vehicles movement they were able to prove that acceleration of the car occurred after Abu al-Qi’an (the maths teacher fleeing the raided village) was shot in the leg causing him to apply pressure to the accelerator. Watch their analysis at the link below as it is really incredible. Their work forced the Israeli Government to go back on their statement, which is almost unheard of for them to apologise.

https://www.forensic-architecture.org/case/umm-al-hiran/

They then went further, in order to disprove the Israels legal justification for the displacement of the settlements. By legal definition a desert does not belong to anyone, and hence the village had no legal grounds to be their. Forensic Architecture looked at how the Israeli Government have been manipulating the water through dams along the border in order to keep the space legally defined as a desert, and hence give them grounds for the destruction of Palestinian homes. Next level site analysis.

Prior to this lecture, I was not too aware of the severe injustices that are occurring in this conflict, and really their work blew my mind – I could not believe some of the stuff I was hearing. The way in which they used architecture as a tool generating their evidence was art in itself. However it was crazy to be reminded by Eyal that this case was just one of many hundreds that occur along the border, and across the world. You can see their other investigations in countries (from Greece through to Syria) at the link here. Their work is incredibly important globally.

https://www.forensic-architecture.org/cases/

On our field trip to Athens, I took the opportunity to visit the Athens Biennale which was going on the time. Artists inhabited galleries and abandoned buildings across the city working under the theme of “Anti” in order to produce work.

I only got a chance to visit one of the buildings, and I have to say it was some of the most surreal, depraved, twisted and emotionally fucked artwork I have seen in my life. I left the building feeling slightly traumatised by the artwork I’d seen. However if the role of art is to emote and be reflective of the artist, then it was certainly successful in doing so. That said, I do worry about the mental state of some those artists.

All in all, I could kind of see how this artwork is reflective of some of the struggle that is going on in Athens and the how economic deprivation (as a result of the Economic Crisis) has led people into that dark place. Definitely an experience. I took a couple photographs of some of the tamer stuff which you can see below.