Abdullah Alothman is spotlighting the human acoustical experience that circulates with the contemporary common sense towards weaponizing music.
Through the live performance, the artist is actively revolting against the misuse of music throughout history by listening to 21 songs from past torture reports from Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons at The Post Oriental Odyssey.
Taking the risks of mental challenges that can be a product of the Performance for such a cause.
Materials:
1. 3m by 3m glass box.
2. 1 Recording Video Cameras.
3. 1 Headphone.
4. 1 ipod, with 21 songs.
1. The artist will be the only person who enters the glass box.
2. The performance would be listening to these songs on loop throughout the opening day (app. 3hours) for the first time by the artist (inside the box).
3. The artist will be the only person listening to these songs by headphones.
4. The artist will be recorded (by video) during his performance by 1 surveillance camera. (On the top of the glass box).
5. The audience can NOT enter the room even when the artist is not present in the following days of the exhibition.
6. Showing the video tape of the artist in the following days of the exhibition.
7. The video is the only element for sale.
Medical papers
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24480888
Abstract
This article draws on research into the use of music in the context of torture both as a
technique of torture and as a means of rehabilitation to ask what types of musical activities and practices may constitute illtreatment, up to and including torture. As well as providing information on the ways music is used in the context of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (hereafter: CIDT), the article discusses responses to this issue in the scholarly, legal and therapeutic communities. Pointing to a widespread link between musical practices and humiliation of the prisoner and celebration of the power of those in charge over those held in detention, the author argues that coerced musical practices of any sort in detention are a cause for grave concern. She draws on research into posttraumatic stress disorder (hereafter: PTSD)
and the torture CIDT distinction to argue for an approach to the use of music in detention that places primacy on the dignity of the
detained person.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23086004
Abstract
Survivors of torture and refugee trauma often have increased needs for mental and physical healthcare. This is due in part to the complex sequelae of trauma, including chronic pain, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and somatization. This article reviews the scientific medical literature for the efficacy and feasibility of some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities including meditation, Ayurveda, pranayama/yogic breathing, massage/bodywork, dance/movement, spirituality, yoga, music, Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, qigong, t’ai chi, chiropractic, homeopathy, aromatherapy and Reiki specifically with respect to survivors of torture and refugee trauma.
We report that preliminary research suggests that the certain CAM modalities may prove effective as part of an integrated treatment plan for survivors of torture and refugee trauma. Further research is warranted.
Other resources:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-pain-of-listening-using-music-as-a-weapon-at-guantanamo-a-672177-2.html
Suzanne Cusick, a professor at New York University, specializes in European
music of the 17th century. For the past few years, however, she has studied the
use of music in torture, and she has given many talks on the subject. She says
she is constantly surprised by how casually the issue is treated and how the
notion that music could be a means of torture is so readily dismissed — and that
there are those who seriously discuss which songs and styles are best suited for
torture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_in_psychological_operations#Musicians.27_protests
The United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights have banned the use of
loud music in interrogations. The term torture is sometimes used to describe the practice. While it is acknowledged by US interrogation experts that it causes discomfort, it has also been characterized by them as causing no “long term effects.”
Music and sound have been usually used as part of a combination of interrogation methods, today recognized by international bodies as amounting to torture.
without leaving any visible traces, they have formed the basis of the widely discussed torture هn Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. They were, however, devised much earlier in the 1950s and early 1960s, as a way to counter socalled Soviet “brainwashing”.
● sensory deprivation ● stress positions ● sleep deprivation ● food and drink deprivation ● continuous music or sound
http://www.vox.com/2014/12/11/7375961/ciatorturemusic
Dope: “Die MF Die”, “Take Your Best Shot”
Eminem: “White America”, “Kim”
Barney & Friends: theme song
Drowning Pool: “Bodies”
Metallica: “Enter Sandman”
Meow Mix: commercial jingle
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2012/05/201253072152430549.html
Human rights researcher Thomas Keenan explains: “Prisoners were forced to put on
headphones. They were attached to chairs, headphones were attached to their heads, and they were left alone just with the music for very long periods of time. Sometimes hours, even days on end, listening to repeated loud music.” “It is music’s capacity to take over your mind and invade your inner experience thatmakes it so terrifying as a potential weapon.” Thomas Keenan, the director of the Human Right’s Project at Bard College[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]