LOVE STORY | 2007 | PERFORMANCE INSTALLATION
For he loved the world so much, he gave his only begotten son...
Sacrificing that which is held dear in the pursuit of a greater goal or belief is a principle that underlines not only the great religions of the world, but also its political systems. The sacrifice of the few to assuage the (real or manipulated) fears of the many, is a golden thread that runs through international politics.
But how does one reconcile the treatment of the saved with the actions of those who purport to save them? Why is the voice of the occupied silenced? Where is the logic in destroying a thing in order to save it? Can one sacrifice the principle in an attempt to save it?
Love Story is a performance piece that gives voice to the silenced - not through text, but sound – in a sort of sonic violence that makes real the desperation and terror of the ‘saved’. ‘Played’ on glass, the work is a visual and sonic exploration into altered realities and constantly shifting perspectives.
David Sudmalis (glass) and Daynor Missingham (real-time electronics, processing, and interactive systems) wear the infamous black garb of Satar Jabar. Jabar was a prisoner at the Abu Ghraib complex in Baghdad and was subjected to physical and psychological torture by the US military. The image of Jabar balancing on a box with wires attached to both hands and his penis has become synonomous with human rights abuses during the US-Iraq war.