Downstream: This Is How Israel Controls Palestinians w/ Eyal Weizman
Apr 22, 2024
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Eyal Weizman, Director of Forensic Architecture, discusses Israel's settler colonial project, police killing of Mark Duggan, and reconstructing events like torture prisons. They explore Israeli colonization in Palestine, reflections on architecture in Haifa, forensic architecture investigative work, reconstructing memories of Syrian prisons, real-time investigations in Gaza, and the importance of deep sensitivity as a journalist.
Forensic Architecture uses open-source intelligence and witness testimony to reconstruct events as evidence in state crime cases.
Architecture in Palestine serves as a tool for domination and control through strategic placements and configurations.
Counter cartography challenges colonial maps to empower indigenous communities through alternative mapping practices.
Deep dives
Forensic Architecture: Exposing State Crimes through Innovation
Forensic architecture, led by I.L. Weitzman, brings together a diverse team to expose state crimes by reconstructing events using open-source intelligence, videos, and witness testimony to create 3D models of contested events. This method has been pivotal in cases like Assad's torture prison and Israel's assault on Gaza, with reconstructions used as evidence in courts.
Origins in Anti-Colonial Movement: Palestine's Architectural Resistance
Forensic architecture traces its origins to Palestine's anti-colonial movement, highlighting the architectural violence inflicted by settler colonization. From strategic road placements to hilltop settlements, architecture in Palestine serves as a tool for domination and control, illustrating how space configuration enforces power dynamics.
Counter Cartography: Unveiling Colonial Erasure through Mapping
Counter cartography challenges colonial map-making by exposing colonization mechanisms, aiming to reveal the erasure of territory and people. By highlighting the political nature of map creation, counter cartography seeks to dismantle the colonial narrative and empower indigenous communities through alternative mapping practices.
Blending Memory and Architecture: Memory Reconstruction through Space
Forensic architecture collaborates with survivors, reconstructing memories of spaces like Syrian prisons orally. By integrating audio cues, they recreate sensory experiences, leveraging spatial understanding to unlock repressed memories. This method allows for a profound reconstruction of events, emphasizing the role of architecture in memory retrieval.
Critical Role of Sound in Memory Reconstruction and Investigation
Sound plays a pivotal role in memory reconstruction, especially in cases like Israeli assaults on Gaza. Investigating sound nuances, like echoes of torture or bombings, becomes crucial in deciphering events accurately. Emphasizing auditory cues enhances investigations, offering multidimensional insights crucial for challenging misrepresentations and ensuring accuracy in forensics.
It’s not what you know; it’s what you can prove. For years, Forensic Architecture has exposed state crimes against civilians, nature, and humanity. This week on Downstream, Ash Sarkar meets its director Eyal Weizman to discuss Israel’s settler colonial project, the police killing of Mark Duggan, and how the testimony of blindfolded torture victims helped […]
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