The Creators Project: In Latin, Habeas Corpus means “you have the body.” In law, it is a term referring to the legal action which allows individuals to petition grounds of imprisonment. It is also the name of Laurie Anderson’s poignant installation opening today at The Park Avenue Armory. “One thing about this show is that its so much about language,” the world-renowned multimedia artist advises me on the eve of the premiere. “Its about how you define a prisoner; how you define a person; how you define a non-person. Herein lies the intricacy of the story—within all these basic assumptions.”
7 comments:
This is really and truly incredible. I would absolutely love to see this installation. I really love that she found a way to have someone tell their stories -kind of still in person- even though he's not allowed to step foot in the United States. I also really love the parallel between the Lincoln Memorial. It's a very overwhelming statue and I think it's very fitting that this is just as overwhelming; I'm sure it feels much the same in person. I think it's great to have the same-ish story told in three ways. I often find that it makes me sad when a good story is told, but not in a way that everyone will understand, and it seems like this piece really takes the time to tell it in a different way each time, because maybe it will get through the way Anderson meant for it to in at least one of the three rooms. Man, I hope I can go see this! The dance party at the end also sounds top notch and well-deserved.
There are several parts of this production that stand out in particular to me. I find it strange that if you have been detained in Guantanamo you aren’t allowed to enter the US ever again, I’m going to have to do some more research on that. What that adds to the story however is the very interesting separation dynamic. The audience members who know he’s never stepped foot in the US and those who do are having two different experiences. As Americans we have a tendency to distance ourselves from non-Americans to the point of dehumanization, one of the main foci of this show is to keep Mohammed real in the eyes of the audience. It’s why his stories are void of the rough parts. But this of him from the audience, whether it’s known geologically or just through his perception as a 2D character, only helps to encourage this barrier between his story and the audiences mind. I think the combination of overwhelming and mismatched imagery, along with the characters lack of physicality hurt the project more than it helps.
As the prison industrial complex grows larger, the amount of people who get put away for petty crimes so to grows. The amount of latent brainpower and artistry locked behind bars is truly staggering, as shows by a team of inmates in upstate New York who took down Harvard's debate team at a Bard college tournament. Why should artists be treated different? The fact that this Chad native was locked up at 14 can never enter the U.S. and share his thoughts with us is one that begs the question: When do we become worse than that which we lock up? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are things that should be guaranteed to every human willing to reform, willing to seek it out. These old American ideals conjure up memories of founding fathers, of great men. Abraham Lincoln springs forward, much in the same way he springs forward when you view the installation. Art is about conjuring something beautiful from the raw terror of living, waking up each morning and still seeing the same sad world, but crawling out of bed towards light you are told is at the end of the tunnel. Laurie Anderson and Gharani are trying to get us to listen to that, and we'd be smart to open our ears.
This performance sounds so powerful. I’m really glad el Gharani has a platform to tell his story. I think it is an important story that we don’t hear much of in the US since the government is transparent about it, and the people who are imprisoned in Guantanamo can’t come to the US after, so they have limited access to speaking out to US audiences about what was done to them. I also see that el Gharani and Anderson have really thought through all the aspects of how they want to present his story in order to get their sentiment through. For example, cutting the graphic details might make people less horrified, but it also makes them less likely to mentally check-out because it is all too much. I also think the way they worked with the fact el Gharahi couldn’t be there turned out incredibly. Looking at the audience members for scale, I can tell that him being so real yet larger than life could have a profound effect. Overall, I’m really glad that this installation exists.
I think this artist has really chosen a strong topic to explore. Despite a rise in interest pertaining to prisons, and the popularity of shows such as "Orange is the New Black", the concept of a prisoner is still something largely unreachable to the vast majority of the population. One-time Guantanamo Bay detainees are especially at risk of being reduced from being true people, to an amorphous concept. With its status as a "hot topic" several years ago, Guantanamo and its inmates were never really portrayed or discussed as real people, or a factual location. Rather, Guantanamo was consistently regarded as a political concept, and pseudo-measure of ethics. Making a former detainee such a clear focal point of a piece is demanding a kind of attention not afforded to this group of people, or facility before. I think the artist's emphasis to leave the prisoner's stories and contributions largely uncensored lends a sense of integrity and accountability that this piece truly needs to be successful.
Very interesting project. I feel like Guantanomo Bay, at least where I'm from, is almost a taboo topic to discuss, because lots of people either feel very strongly that it is unjust and evil, while others believe very strongly that it is protecting the country and maintaining order. This piece really highlights the horrors faced by detainees, and I'm sure can't be an easy piece to walk in and out of. That's an amazing thing about art though, challenging people's views. Making people uncomfortable. I would love to go see this piece in person.
This show sounds really interesting. How it takes a difficult and controversial thing and presents it in a heartfelt way is a hard thing to do. I like how it focuses on one person’s story, and really makes it engaging for the audience. The different rooms and the allusions within them help make a profound impact that I think would be necessary for this kind of show. I would love to go an see this show, as I feel as if it would expand my horizons both theatrically and politically.
Post a Comment