From July 1 (Canada Day) 2010, through July 1, 2011 I performed Impact Afghanistan War, a memorial project where I fell 100 times every day in a public space (each fall in recognition of an Afghan death).
Impact was my attempt to reach beyond the numbness produced by abstract numbers, political debates and media spectacularization. It was an attempt to register, through my body, the impact of our (Canada’s) engagement in Afghanistan. In a larger sense, it was an inquiry into empathy, an investigation of the space between “us” and “other,” between individual and social grief, between personal ritual and public protest and between art and politics.
Click here for a record of each day’s falls.
Below is an archive of Impact‘s year of blogs:
im-pact: 1. forceful contact; 2. to have an impact or effect on; influence; alter.
Peace Conference, Albany New York
Falling in the heart of the “Empire State”
Fear for Falling: Reflections of falling while on the road
Autonomous Invisibility in Queen’s Park
Unintended Cloak of Invisibility
From Public Mourning to “Death Pornography”
Paradigm Shift: From Invisible to Hyper-visible
. . . more on Inspirational Response
“Gizelle says ‘Hi” to everyone”
My First 9/11 Since 2001 Outside of the US
On Getting Up Over and Over Again
October 7, 2010: 9th Anniversary of US/NATO Invasion of Afghanistan
Blasted! Not More Sensationalized and Decontextualized Media Coverage of Violence Against Women
Remembering the Named and the Unnamed
Interventions, Incursions and Encounters
Poppies, From Flanders to Afghanistan
. . . More on Shared (and Sharing) Vulnerabilities
Snow Angels and Earthly Angels
con-front: to stand, or meet, facing
Cold Rain Watering Seeds of Hope
Turning Toward the Trembling Heart of the World
Falling Together, in Melbourne and at York
A Snapshot from Within the Kaleidoscope
Falling on ANZAC Day in Melbourne
Story About Impact on OpenFile
Shifts Happen and Meanings Change–What to do?
Conversations From (and Between) Nederland and Australia
Impact in Eindhoven and on Brabant TV/Radio
On Endings: A Dialogue, From Melbourne to Toronto
Echoes of Falling, Near and Far
Helene- you sewed me together with another under the full moon tonight.
I have been thinking about this Impact project you told me about. I cannot get it out of my head.
I was wondering… if you would be open to falling together one day? If perhaps I could join you? I know that you are performing at young and dundas on saturday- as am I. I will be performing there from 4-5pm. Maybe sometime in and around this would be a good opportunity?
I completely understand if this work is for you to explore alone, but, if not… I am here.
Thank you for your work tonight.
with love,
Adriana
Adriana,
One of the things I love about intervention work is the moments of connection. Your availability to the moment of sewing almost brought tears to my eyes. Doing Impact is like that. Sometimes one in 100 people stops and really takes it in, and it’s so special. It’s like for a moment we are able to break the spell of the spectacle and really see one another.
I would love to fall together. I’ll email so we can figure out a time/place.
Helene
Just discovered your page.
Thank you for your poignant work….
Joanne Rice
Dear Joanne,
Somehow I missed this post. I thank you as well for your beautiful piece! (See link to Joanne’s project under arts activism.)
Helene