December 01, 2005
A Performance Lecture by Walid Raad
My Neck is Thinner Than a Hair
On December 6, Walid Raad will present a one-hour performance lecture, "My Neck Is Thinner Than a Hair: A History of the Car Bomb in the 1975-1991 Lebanese Civil Wars, Volume 1: January 21, 1986." [Webcast] It is the result of his year-long collaboration with artists Tony Chakar and Bilal Khbeiz. This particular piece examines a single car bomb detonated January 21, 1986 in the Furn Ech Chubak area of Beirut. But their ongoing collective work considers the many vexed dimensions—social, psychological, political, economic—of war-torn Lebanon. Indeed, it investigates the complex responses to the 3,600 car bombs that exploded between 1975 and 1991. The project is co-produced by The Atlas Group (Beirut/New York), Ashkal Alwan (Beirut), Kunsten Festival des Arts (Brussels), House of World Cultures (Berlin), Spectacles Vivants, Centre Pompidou (Paris), and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School. [Webcast]
Born in Lebanon but now residing in the United States, Walid Raad is one of the most significant new voices in visual arts and culture. His works include video, photography and literary essays. Focusing on specific incidents of car bombings in the contemporary history of Lebanon, Raad investigates traumatic events of huge proportion, and the ways film, video, and photography document trauma and violence. In our current climate of cultural and political polarization, his work resonates deeply. For it shows how the visual and performing arts contribute to our increased understanding of the Middle East.
His first solo exhibition in New York, “The Dead Weight of a Quarrel Hangs,” will open January 7, 2006 at The Kitchen in Chelsea.
The New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, First Floor. Tuesday, December 6, 8 p.m.; $8. Free for Students with Valid ID. Tickets can be purchased by phone with a credit card (212) 229-5488 or in person at The New School Box Office, 66 West 12th Street, main floor, Monday-Thursday 1-8 p.m., Friday 1-7 p.m. Reservations can be made by email: boxoffice[at]newschool.edu.
Founded in 1992, The Vera List Center for Art and Politics embodies The New School’s historic commitment to the arts. The center organizes and sponsors public events, online programs, and occasional publications. It engages cultural production that emerges inside and outside the traditional art world and seeks to intervene in contemporary political debates. A place where scholarship develops into general resource, policy, and civic engagement, the center reaches both national and international audiences.
CONTACT: Daniel Morris. 212.229.5485 x 3094. morrd109[at]newschool.edu
Deborah Kirschner. 212.229.5667 x4310. kirschnd[at]newschool.edu
Posted by jo at December 1, 2005 12:27 PM
