This is Camp X-Ray is the name of art installation created by the artist Jai Redman who is part of the Ultimate Holding Company (UHC) art collective.[1] 'This is Camp X-Ray' was a full-scale replica of part of the United States military Guantanamo Bay detainment camp.[2] The installation showed guards and prisoners in cells and interrogation rooms, as well as demonstration of known interrogation techniques.[2] It was constructed in the Hulme area of the city of Manchester[3] and was operational from Friday 10 October to Saturday 18 October 2003. Costing approximately £3000, the Arts Council England covered[1] half the cost.
Due to the political nature of the project, the installation received a few complaints including from Conservative party MP Andrew Rosindell, and David Lee the editor of the arts newspaper Jackdaw. Lee said "This is simply a reconstruction, it is bald documentary and has nothing to do with art. The Arts Council supports this kind of stuff rather than supporting good art. It is both corrupt and corrupting."
A DVD video documenting the live installation, entitled This is Camp X-Ray: Manchester Responds To Injustice With Art, by Damien Mahoney was released on 12 December 2004.[4] The DVD includes an interview with the sisters of Jamal Udeen Al-Harith, a Manchester resident who was detained in the real Camp X-Ray for two and a half years without charge.[5]
References
- ^ a b Ward, David (11 October 2003). "Guantanamo Bay prison recreated as northern art". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-06-18 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ a b "Camp X-Ray comes to Manchester". 10 October 2003. Retrieved 2019-06-18 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Eerie reality of X-Ray's cousin". 12 October 2003. Retrieved 2019-06-18 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Film highlights Guantanamo disgrace". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- ^ "Ultimate Holding Company". www.uhc.org.uk.