Veni, Vidi, Vici:

Chicago, USA - Impact Festival (School of the Art Institute of Chicago)  - 2020.

Online - The Future of Our Plans Exhibition (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) -2020

​

Duration: approx. 20 minute segments

​

The artist wanted to investigate the ownership of evidence and the systems that decide what is justice is in response to the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. The act which imposed heavy economic sanctions on Syria, and which began with a heroic figure of a whistleblower leaking photos of war crimes.

The projects confront the audience in an interactive experiment that involves them signing a contract of participation before joining the performance. The contract entails that the audience documents using cameras, lights, sound recorders, notepads and markers available in the space any details of this person in the room that is claiming to be Caesar the whistleblower photographer. Meanwhile, this person starts to reveal the possible life story of Caesar.

This interactive performance attempts to put the audience in the role of evidence producers using the Caesar Act, and invites them into role-playing with the possibilities of evidence production and implementing "justice" through bureaucratic systems in charge of foreign policy.

​

Photography: Nura Husseini

​

​

Link to participate in the online version of this performance: https://sites.saic.edu/gradshow2020/artists/sami-ismat/