Fallujah
03 May 2007 - 02 June 2007
ICA London, offsite Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, Monograph Exhibition / Theatre collaboration
UK
Fallujah is a three-way collaboration between writer Dr. Jonathan Holmes, composer Nitin Sawhney and contemporary artists Lucy + Jorge Orta. It is a testimonial theatrical performance for which Orta have created emblematic sculptures and installation pieces to create a visual statement for Holmes script and Sawhney’s powerful music. Focusing on the war in Iraq, Fallujah is a verbatim play written and directed by Holmes. It depicts the aftermath of the siege of the city by the American army and coalition forces in 2004. Fallujah was a symbol of Islamic fundamentalist resistance and now stands as evidence of the reactionary and excessive force used by coalition troops since the onslaught of the war. The actors, including Harriet Walter and Imogen Stubbs, perform actual testimonials taken from eye-witnesses personally interviewed by Holmes and triple Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Scilla Elworthy. Drawing from this and forming both a stand-alone exhibition and setting for the performance, Lucy + Jorge Orta have created a series of striking life-size installations designed to communicate and reflect the experiences of everyday citizens, the roles of the aggressors and our position as outside witnesses.