After Cloud Studies - Open Archive

After Cloud Studies Open Archive

Forensic Architecture’s Cloud Studies project first premieres as part of the Critical Zones: Observatories for earthly politics exhibition at ZKM Karlsruhe, at the invitation of Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel.

A major solo exhibition titled Cloud Studies opens at the University of Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery, featuring an expanded version of the Cloud Studies film and a new FA case on Environmental Racism in Death Alley, Louisiana, and including a new statement of solidarity with Palestine, in response to the series of attacks by Israeli occupation forces on Palestinian civilians in May 2021, two months prior.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) write to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester warning them that by hosting FA’s exhibition at the Whitworth, they may be in breach of their ‘public sector equality duty’.

Yielding to pressure from UKLFI, the University of Manchester instructs the Whitworth to remove FA’s introductory statement expressing solidarity with Palestine from the Cloud Studies exhibition space.

FA insists the show not continue unless in its original complete form.

The Whitworth publicly announces its closure on Twitter.

The Guardian reveals that the gallery closure was precipitated by the Whitworth’s removal of FA’s solidarity statement, prompting widespread media coverage.

Members of the public in Manchester stage a protest in front of the Whitworth, expressing solidarity with Palestine and demanding the exhibition be reopened in full. Meanwhile, the University of Manchester receives over 13,000 letters challenging their actions.

The university agrees to reinstate FA’s statement of solidarity with Palestine at the Whitworth. FA agrees to reopen the show.

Cloud Studies reopens with the statement in place. The university introduces a ‘display cabinet’ at the entrance to the exhibit offering their own account of the incident and a ‘counter-statement’ to FA’s statement from the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region.

A ‘counter-counter-statement’ from the International Centre for Justice for Palestinians is added to the display cabinet, offering a legal opinion in support of Forensic Architecture’s statement and the specific terminology contained therein.

FA publishes an op-ed in the Guardian explaining its stance on the significance of the statement on Palestine, noting its history with UKLFI, and framing its approach to ‘political art’ in an institutional context.

The Guardian reports that the director of the Whitworth, Alistair Hudson, has been asked to leave his post by the university, following a further series of complaints from UKLFI.

Twenty-six artists participating in the British Art Show 9 (BAS9), scheduled to travel to the Whitworth Art Gallery in May 2022 as part of its tour, publish a letter addressed to the University of Manchester’s president expressing their outrage at the university’s actions and threatening to withdraw.

More than 100 members of staff at the University of Manchester sign a letter opposing the institution’s attempt to force out the Whitworth director, calling it a ‘grave violation of academic and artistic freedom of expression’.

The same twenty-six artists issue another public statement officially withdrawing their work from the Manchester leg of the BAS9 exhibition tour Senior staff at numerous other institutions sign letters of support for Hudson.

It is announced that Alistair Hudson has accepted a new position as director of the ZKM Karlsruhe, the very same institution that originally commissioned the Cloud Studies project and exhibited it for the first time back in 2020.

23.05.2020 – 09 01 2022, ZKM Atrium 1+2

CRITICAL ZONES. Observatories for Earthly Politics

Virtual Opening Friday, May 22, 2020, 6 pm

An exhibition by ZKM | Center for Art and Media (Peter Weibel, Bettina Korintenberg, Daria Mille) in cooperation with French philosopher Bruno Latour and Martin Guinard-Terrin.

For a long time the reactions of Earth to our human actions remained unnoticed, and have now finally – not least due to recent international climate protests – moved into public consciousness. The exhibition project »CRITICAL ZONES« invites visitors to the ZKM | Center for Art and Media to engage with the critical situation of the Earth in a novel and diverse way and to explore new modes of coexistence between all forms of life.

In order to remedy the generally prevailing disorientation and dissension in society, politics and ecology with regard to the changing state of the planet, the exhibition project sets up an imaginary cartography, considering the Earth as a network of »Critical Zones« The term »Critical Zone« is taken from the geosciences and describes the fragile layer of the Earth, its surface, which is only a few kilometres thin and on which life is created. In addition to emhasizing the vulnerability of this thin layer, the term also sheds light on the numerous controversies that have triggered new political attitudes towards it. Created by a wide variety of life forms over time, living organisms interact in these »Critical Zones«, but also earth, rock, water and air. Those life forms had completely transformed the original geology of the Earth, before humanity transformed it yet again over the last centuries.

Over the years, scientists have dedicated their research to the »Critical Zone«. They have made us aware of the complex composition and extreme fragility of this thin layer of the Earth, in which all life forms, humans included, have to cohabit.

The Exhibition as an Observatory of the Critical Zones

As a research and exhibition project »CRITICAL ZONES« explores the urgency of bringing together skills, knowledge, disciplines and cultures to jointly create a cartography of the multitude of Earths. Over a period of five months, the exhibition simulates on a small scale the model of a new spatiality of the Earth and the diversity of relations between the life forms inhabiting it. The exhibition creates a landscape that makes the public understand the characteristics of the so-called »New Climatic Regime«, a term coined by Bruno Latour to describe the global situation

April 2020

Critical Zones. Observatories for Earthly Politics

Duration of the Exhibition 23.05. 2020– 09.01.2022

Location

ZKM Atrium 1+2

Exhibition Opening Fri, 22.05.2020, 6 pm

Press Contact

Dominika Szope Head of Department Tel: +49 (0) 721 / 8100 – 1220

E- Mail: presse@zkm.de www.zkm.de/presse

ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe Lorenzstraße 19 76135 Karlsruhe

Funded by

Cooperation partner

With the kind support of Founders of the ZKM Partner of the ZKM

affecting all living things. Not being limited to ecological crises, the term also includes questions of politics and cultural history as well as ethical and epistemological changes of perspective. As an observatory of »Critical Zones«, the exhibition aims to steer a debate towards new Earthly Politics.

This special combination of thought experiment and exhibition was developed by Peter Weibel and Bruno Latour in their previous collaborations at ZKM. »Iconoclash« in 2002, »Making Things Public« in 2005, and »Reset Modernity!« in 2016 constitute the three former »thought exhibitions« (Gedankenausstellungen) that resulted from their intensive working relationship which now spans twenty years. »CRITICAL ZONES« is characterized by an extensive collaboration of artists, designers, scientists and activists. Art, with all its imaginative, speculative and aesthetic power, takes up the important challenge of developing new forms of representation and options for action in an overall situation that has not yet been clarified. Many of the artists working on this project originate from nonWestern countries, broadening the view of European ways of thinking, which we have learned to describe as global modernity.

»Critical Zones Study Group« at the University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe (HfG)

Under the guidance of Bruno Latours and in collaboration with Martin Guinard-Terrin (curator), Bettina Korintenberg (curator, ZKM Karlsruhe) and Daniel Irrgang (media scientist, University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe), the participants of the research seminar »Critical Zones« worked both conceptually and with concrete contributions on the preparation of the exhibition of the same name at the ZKM. In an experimental research seminar, students set themselves the task of exploring and describing the potential of the »CRITICAL ZONES« and ultimately making it tangible as an exhibition.

Curatorial committee: Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel with Martin Guinard-Terrin and Bettina Korintenberg

Curatorial advisory board : Alexandra Arènes (architect), Bruce Clarke (literary scholar), Jérôme Gaillardet (geochemist), Joseph Koerner (art historian), Daria Mille (curator) and the Critical Zones Study Group of the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG)

Exhibition team : Barbara Kiolbassa (museum communication), Jessica Menger (curatorial assistance)

April 2020

Critical Zones. Observatories for Earthly Politics

Duration of the Exhibition 23.05. 2020– 09.01.2022

Location

ZKM Atrium 1+2

Exhibition Opening Fri, 22.05.2020, 6 pm

Press Contact

Dominika Szope Head of Department Tel: +49 (0) 721 / 8100 – 1220

E- Mail: presse@zkm.de www.zkm.de/presse

ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe Lorenzstraße 19 76135 Karlsruhe

Funded by

Cooperation partner

With the kind support of Founders of the ZKM

Partner of the ZKM

23.05.2020–28.02.2021

Artists List

»Critical Zones Observatories for Earthly Politics«

Alexandra Arènes & Soheil Hajmirbaba

Cemelesai Dakivali (Arsai)

Gemma Anderson

Anna Atkins

Lise Autogena & Joshua Portway

June Balthazard

Nurit Bar-Shai

Nicolaes Berchem

Julian Charrière

Jingru Cheng

Xinhao Cheng

Jürgen Claus

Gustave Courbet

Joos van Craesbeeck

Dilip da Cunha & Anuradha Mathur

Johan Christian Clausen Dahl

John Dalton

John Frederic Daniell

Johannes de Sacrobosco

Horace Bénédict de Saussure

Jean-André (De)luc

Emily Dickinson

Martin Dornberg & Daniel Fetzner

Matthieu Duperrex

Albrecht Dürer

Peter Fend

Marco Ferrari

Forensic Architecture

Caspar David Friedrich

Geocinema (Asia Bazdyrieva & Solveig Suess)

Laurentio Gobart

Claudia González Godoy

Orra White Hitchcock

Karen Holmberg & Andrés Burbano

Robert Hooke

Jean Hubert

Elise Hunchuck

Peter Hutchinson

Pauline Julier

Athanasius Kircher

Wilhelm August Lampadius

Bruno Latour

Fabien Léaustic

Carl Friedrich Lessing

May 2020

Critical Zones

Observatories for Earthly Politics

Duration of the Exhibition

May 23, 2020 – Feb 28, 2021

L ocation

ZKM Atrium 1+2

Press Contact Dominika Szope

Head of Department

Tel: +49 ( 0 ) 721 / 8100 – 1220

E - Mail: presse@zkm.de www.zkm.de/en/ presse

ZKM | Center for Art and Media

Karlsruhe

Lorenzstraße 19 76135 Karlsruhe

Funded by

Cooperation partner

With the kind support o f

Founders of the ZKM

Partner of the ZKM

Sonia Levy

Julius von Leypold

Rachel Libeskind

Armin Linke

James Lovelock

Len Lye

Marcus Maeder

Petra Maitz

Jumana Manna

Franz Marc

Barbara Marcel

Lynn Margulis

Lukas Marxt

Margarida Mendes

Antonio Mizauld

Edith Morales

Tahani Nadim & Sybille Neumeyer

Otobong Nkanga

Dennis Oppenheim

Uriel Orlow

Sophie Ristelhueber

Johann Wilhelm Schirmer

Guido Philipp Schmitt

HA Schult

Rasa Smite & Raitis Smits

Yuhsin Su

Sarah Sze

TBA21 – Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Academy (Inhabitants:

Pedro Neves Marques & Mariana Silva; Ingo Niermann, Khadija von Zinnenburg Carroll)

Territorial Agency (John Palmesino & Ann-Sofi Rönnskog)

The Bio Design Lab (Jan Boelen, Anne-Sophie Oberkrome, Lisa Ertel, Studio Thus That, Atelier NL, Atelier Luma, Studio Basse Stittgen, KIT Fachbereich Nachhaltiges Bauen, Highsociety Studio, Fabio Hendry, Martijn Rigters, Studio Lapatsch | Unger, Simon Diener, Youyang Song, Studio Sarmite, Marianne Drews)

Gediminas and Nomeda Urbonas

Otto Marseus van Schrieck

Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro

Alexander von Humboldt

Caspar Wolf

May 2020

Critical Zones

Observatories for Earthly Politics

Duration of the Exhibition

May 23, 2020 – Feb 28, 2021

L ocation

ZKM Atrium 1+2

Press Contact Dominika Szope

Head of Department

Tel: +49 ( 0 ) 721 / 8100 – 1220

E - Mail: presse@zkm.de www.zkm.de/en/ presse

ZKM | Center for Art and Media

Karlsruhe

Lorenzstraße 19 76135 Karlsruhe

Funded by

Cooperation partner

With the kind support o f

Founders of the ZKM

Partner of the ZKM

FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE’S MAJOR EXHIBITION AND NEW INVESTIGATION AT WHITWORTH MARKS THE AGENCY’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Since its establishment in 2011, Forensic Architecture has developed ground-breaking investigative techniques and deployed them in over seventy bold and impactful investigations, presented in landmark legal cases in national and international courtrooms, has exposed state violence and corruption on every continent, and has defined new possibilities for aesthetic practices through exhibitions at the world’s leading galleries.

In July, Forensic Architecture will present a major exhibition at the Whitworth, the University of Manchester, as part of this year’s Manchester International Festival. Cloud Studies (2 July – 17 October) draws together some of the agency’s previous investigations around the world to expose how states and corporations weaponise the air we breathe to suppress civilian protest, to maintain and defend violent border regimes, and empower extractive industry.

The display includes investigations from Palestine, Beirut, London, Indonesia, and the US-Mexico border. The exhibition will also feature archival material including maps, 3D printed models and contextual interpretive material related to the methodologies used by Forensic Architecture in these investigations.

A highlight of the exhibition is the first phase of a major new investigation on environmental racism in Louisiana in an area known as ‘Cancer Alley’ In a region densely populated with petrochemical production facilities, majority-Black communities, the descendants of people historically enslaved on those same lands, today breathe the most toxic air in the United States. FA will present a two-channel film mapping a three-hundred-year-long continuum of environmental racism that powers an extractive economy, and fuels climate change.

In line with the Whitworth’s sustainability agenda, and Forensic Architecture’s commitment to recognizing the cultural sector’s complicity in the petrochemical industry’s logics of supply and demand, the exhibition will be vinyl-free.

Forensic Architecture said:

“This investigation exposes how the petrochemical industry continues a racialized spatial and environmental logic first established by colonialism and slavery. If environmental racism is a monument to slavery, ecological reparations are the only thing that can take it down.”

“This investigation supports the multigenerational work of Black Louisianans who have sought to recover our history and protect our future from systemic erasure.”

“In support of the multigenerational effort to recover the erasure of the past and secure the future against the violent forces that occupy the air and ground, this investigation studies the spatial and environmental logics of corporate-colonialism to reconstruct the earth, manage life, and produce death.”

Plantation country became the petrochemical corridor.

Manchester International Festival Artistic Director & Chief Executive, John McGrath said: “We are delighted to work with the Whitworth to present this exhibition to coincide with 10th anniversary of Forensic Architecture. This is an important body of work, and these investigations by FA will make audiences think about politics and our everyday environment in a new way.”

Alistair Hudson, Director of the Whitworth, The University of Manchester, said: “This is the first major exhibition at the Whitworth after a year of closure due to the Pandemic. I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to begin the next chapter in our history, heralding in a new programme that promotes the idea of art as a tool for social transformation and offering new ideas for a post-covid world. With MIF we are very happy to celebrate 10 years of Forensic Architecture, a collective who have pioneered a way of working that has expanded beyond the frame of art, and the traditions of representation and documentary; to actively and practically support justice for communities around the world. To present this body of work that connects environmental, economic and racial violence now is highly pertinent to our current situation and especially given Manchester’s historical complicity in global industrialisation and capitalism since its birth in the 19th century.”

Listings Information

Date: 2 July – 17 October 2021

Opening Times: Wednesday to Sunday 10am - 5pm

The Whitworth

The University of Manchester

Oxford Road

Manchester

M15 6ER Free

ENDS

For more information, images and interview requests please contact:

Manchester International Festival:

Emma Robertson, Head of Press and PR, +44 (0)7813 521104, emma.robertson@mif.co.uk

Jamie-leigh Hargreaves, Senior Press Officer, +44 (0)7534 492118, jamieleigh.hargreaves@mif.co.uk

Oscar Lister, Press Officer, +44 (0)7494 688523, oscar.lister@mif.co.uk

Bolton & Quinn:

Erica Bolton, +44 (0)7711 698186, erica@boltonquinn.com

Lara Delaney, +44 (0)7737 142302, lara@boltonquinn.com

Lauren Butcher, +44 (0)7859 217943, lauren@boltonquinn.com

Manchester International Festival

Download high resolution images here

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Forensic Architecture

Forensic Architecture (FA) is a research agency investigating human rights violations including violence committed by states, police forces, militaries, and corporations.

FA’s team includes architects, software developers, filmmakers, investigative journalists, artists, scientists and lawyers, and is led by Eyal Weizman, Professor of Spatial and Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London.

About Manchester International Festival

Manchester International Festival (MIF) is an artist-led festival of original, new work and special events reflecting the spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture. MIF21 takes place from 1 - 18 July 2021.

Staged every two years in Manchester, MIF has commissioned, produced and presented world premieres by artists including Marina Abramović, Damon Albarn, Laurie Anderson, Björk, Boris Charmatz, Jeremy Deller, Idris Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Elbow, Philip Glass and Phelim McDermott, David Lynch, Wayne McGregor, Steve McQueen, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Yoko Ono, Thomas Ostermeier, Maxine Peake, Punchdrunk, Skepta, The xx, Robert Wilson and Zaha Hadid Architects.

These and other world-renowned artists from different art forms and backgrounds create dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking new work, staged in venues across Greater Manchester – from theatres, galleries and concert halls to railway depots, churches and car parks. MIF works closely with venues, festivals and other cultural organisations globally, whose financial and creative input helps to make many of these projects possible and ensures that work made at MIF goes on to be seen around the world.

MIF supports a year-round Creative Engagement programme, bringing opportunities for people from all backgrounds, ages and from all corners of the city to get involved during the Festival and year-round, as volunteers, as participants in shows, through skills development and a host of creative activities, such as Festival in My House.

MIF will also run The Factory, the new landmark cultural space currently being built in the heart of Manchester and designed by the internationally-renowned architect Ellen van Loon of Rem Koolhaas’ OMA. The Factory will commission, present and produce one of Europe’s most ambitious and adventurous year-round creative programmes, featuring bold new work from the world’s greatest artists and offering a space to create, invent and play.

Attracting up to 850,000 visitors annually, The Factory will add up to £1.1 billion to the economy over a decade and create up to 1,500 direct and indirect jobs. Its pioneering programme of skills, training and engagement will benefit local people and the next generation of creative talent from across the city, whilst apprenticeships and trainee schemes are already underway during the construction phase.

mif.co.uk

About the Whitworth

About The Whitworth The Whitworth is proudly part of the University of Manchester and serves as a bridge between the University and the people of the city; a place to meet, play and learn in public. Its mission is to use art for social change; founded in 1889 as The Whitworth Institute and Park in memory of the industrialist Sir Joseph Whitworth for “the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester”.

The Whitworth re-opened to the public in 2015 after a major £17 million redevelopment by architects MUMA. It has welcomed almost two million visitors since re-opening, and more than doubled its previous annual records. The redevelopment doubled the public space and created state-of-the-art new facilities to house the collection of over 55,000 works of art and included expanded gallery spaces, a study centre, learning studio, and a collections centre.

The gallery was awarded Art Fund Museum of Year 2015, nominated for the prestigious Stirling Prize and named Best Emerging Cultural Destination in Europe. The gallery has historically been at the centre of civic and cultural life and this is also its future.

For more information, please visit www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth

MIF’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive is John McGrath.

Forensic Architecture Stands with Palestine

While working on this exhibition, Forensic Architecture witnessed with horror yet another attack by Israel’s occupation forces on Palestinians. Partners and friends in Gaza told us first-hand about their experiences of the attacks that destroyed multistorey buildings, homes, the offices of news organisations, schools, hospitals and businesses. The ferocity of the bombing produced man -made environmental disasters, with underground explosions leading to art ificial earthquakes under Gaza City. At the same time, the targeting of agricultural storage facilities produced massive ‘airquakes’, with clouds of toxic fumes covering entire residential areas. Elsewhere across Palestine, we saw the ethnic cleansing of P alestinian neighbourhoods by Israeli police and settlers, and raids and tear gas used against cultural centres, including that of our collaborators and friends in Dar Jacir.

We honour the courage of Palestinians who continue to document and narrate events on the ground and to struggle against this violence, apartheid and colonization. We believe that this liberation struggle is inseparable from other global struggles against racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and settler colonial violence and we acknow ledge its particularly close entanglement with the Black liberation struggle around the world.

Forensic Architecture

“Inflammatory” Whitworth Gallery Exhibition challenged

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) have written to the Vice-Chancellor of Manchester University warning that the hosting of an exhibition at the Whitworth Art Gallery may breach the “public sector equality duty”.

Whitworth Art Gallery, which is part of Manchester University, is hosting an exhibition by Forensic Architecture, which contains inflammatory language, portraying Israel as an occupation force engaged in ethnic cleansing, apartheid, human and environmental destruction.  Several visitors to the Whitworth Art Gallery contacted UKLFI about their concerns regarding this exhibition.

UKLFI pointed out to Manchester University that it appears to have failed to comply with its Public Sector Equality Duty by not considering the impact of the inflammatory language and representations contained in the exhibition on Jewish people in Manchester.

UKLFI has requested the following information from the University:

1. What consideration was given to the requirement to eliminate prohibited conduct including harassment and victimisation?

2. What consideration was given to the need to foster good relations between different communities?

3. The outcome of such consideration.

4. Any correspondence, notes, minutes and details of any meetings in which they were discussed.

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 requires a public body, including a university, to have due regard to these requirements in the exercise of its functions.

The Whitworth Gallery previously caused controversy in June this year when it posted a statement on its website expressing solidarity with Palestine and support for “decolonialisation”. The statement was removed following a complaint from UKLFI.

 antisemitism, Art, Manchester

Note regarding Forensic Architecture's Introductory Statement

1. Israeli forces did not attack Palestinians generally in the conflict earlier this year. They attacked Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza and their weapons, equipment and facilities, after these terrorists started firing thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians. Since these terrorists usually operate in residential areas, unfortunately some civilians were also killed and damage was done to some civilian property - despite strenuous efforts by the Israeli forces to avoid this, often forgoing important military advantages. However, at least half and probably more of those killed as a result of the Israeli air strikes were terrorists. Additional Palestinian deaths resulted from missiles launched by the terrorists themselves falling short in Gaza.

2. Israel’s bombing did not produce environmental disasters or earthquakes. Israel did bomb tunnels built by the terrorists (often using child slave labour) and the collapse of the tunnels damaged some roads and buildings above them. In one case explosives stored by terrorists in a tunnel exploded, causing a row of houses to collapse. But this was not an earthquake. By contrast, arson by Hamas and other terrorists, including incendiary balloons and forest fires, has caused and is causing extensive environmental damage in Israel. Further environmental damage was caused by Palestinians burning tyres in Gaza to make it difficult for Israeli forces to see whether Palestinians massing near the border were civilians or terrorists.

3. Israel did not target agricultural storage facilities. It targeted terrorist facilities, some of which may have used or been disguised as agricultural storage facilities. And this did not produce “massive airquakes” (whatever they are) nor clouds of toxic fumes covering entire residential areas.

4. There was no ethnic cleansing of Palestinian neighbourhoods at this time. There were violent riots by Arabs in Israel attacking Jews, torching buildings owned by Jews and seeking to ethnically cleanse Jews from mixed neighbourhoods. The Israeli police used teargas to suppress these riots, as any police force would, not to ethnically cleanse Arabs from their neighbourhoods. There is a pending legal case in which Jewish owners of some property in an area of Jerusalem from which Jews were ethnically cleansed in 1948 are seeking to evict 8 Palestinian families, on the ground that 4 of the families have failed to pay rent due under their tenancies and the other 4 are squatters without any tenancies. The property in question has been owned by Jewish organisations since 1875. However, no evictions resulting from these proceedings have yet taken place.

5. The complex conflict in the Middle East bears no relation to the Black liberation struggle. It is a conflict between two nations who each have longstanding links to the land – the Jewish people who have a history and presence in the land going back over 3000 years and the Arab people who colonised it over 1000 years ago. This bears no comparison to the evil of slavery (of which Jews were also victims) and the wholly unjustifiable discrimination against blacks that continued after the abolition of slavery.

https://uklfi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Note-regarding-Forensic-Architectures-Introductory-Statement.pdf

Architecture

Artists pull work from Whitworth gallery after Palestine statement removal

Solidarity message removed from exhibition by Forensic Architecture after UK Lawyers for Israel campaign

Damien Gayle

@damiengayle

Mon 16 Aug 2021 19.13 BST

A Turner prize-nominated investigative group has said it is pulling an exhibition of its work at the Whitworth gallery in Manchester after a statement of solidarity with Palestine was removed from the display.

Part of the exhibition addresses violence used by Israeli forces against Palestinians and was accused of being “incendiary and by its very nature one-sided” by UK Lawyers For Israel (UKLFI) which advocates for Israeli causes.

Forensic Architecture, a team of architects, archaeologists and journalists whose digital models of crime scenes have been cited as evidence at the international criminal court, demanded the closure of its exhibit “with immediate effect” upon learning of the removal.

The removal of the statement followed a c ampaign by UKLFI. A letter sent on 28 July by UKLFI to the University of Manchester, which controls the Whitworth galler y, suggested the exhibition could through its “inflammator y language and representations [of Jew ish people]” breach the university’s public sector equality duty. It argued the comparison of the Palestinian and Black liberation struggles “seems designed to provoke rac ial discord”.

The inter vention led to a meeting between representatives from the university, the galler y, UKLFI and Jew ish community groups in Manchester, where the dec ision was taken to remove the statement.

Emails seen by the Guardian suggest Forensic Architecture’s director, Eyal Weizman, a British-Israeli professor at G oldsmiths, learned of the statement’s removal from a blog post by UKLFI. “As our work seems to have been compromised despite our strong objections, we demand that our exhibition is closed w ith immediate effect,” Weizman told the galler y.

The show, Cloud Studies, has been open since 2 July and looked at how pollution, chemic al attacks and the aftermath of explosions affect marginalised people. It explored the use of teargas and white phosphorus in Palestine, chemic al warfare in Syria, the use of teargas against protesters in Chile, the effects of deliberately started forest fires in Papua and highlighted major new work on env ironmental rac ism in L ouisiana’s “C ancer Alley”’.

At the entrance to the exhibition was pinned a note, headed “Forensic Architecture stands w ith Palestine”. It said: “We believe this liberation struggle is inseparable from other global struggles against rac ism, white supremac y, antisemitism, and settler colonial v iolence and we acknowledge its partic ularly close entanglement w ith the Black liberation struggle around the world.”

Weizman told the Guardian: “I’m stunned that the University of Manchester forced the removal of our ‘solidarity w ith Palestine’ statement which forms part of our exhibition.

“ The statement refers to well-doc umented realities in Palestine, endorsed by major human rights groups. That the University of Manchester did so follow ing the pressure from a self-appointed lobby ing group known to platform the extreme-right settler movement in Israel disregard well-accepted princ iples of ac ademic and artistic freedom and is an affront to the princ iples of human rights, in Palestine and elsewhere, that FA’s exhibition promotes.”

Weizman was referring to an episode two years ago when an event staged by UKLFI in L ondon featuring a representative of the far-right organisation Regav im was

blockaded by British Jews opposed to Israel’s occ upation. At the time the UKLFI director, C aroline Turner, said Regav im was “certainly not a champion of hate” as it took action “against Jew ish as well as Arab v iolators”.

UKLFI disputed the characterisation of its inter vention as lobby ing. It “expressed reasonable concerns”, the organisation told the Guardian. Jonathan Turner, chief exec utive of UKLFI, said: “In our v iew the university took a responsible dec ision, allow ing the continued display of what passed for artistic elements in Forensic Architecture’s exhibition, even though these were also misleading, but remov ing the introduction which was pure propaganda. Forensic Architecture’s dec ision to pull the whole exhibition suggests that they are more interested in propaganda than art.”

The University of Manchester has prev iously been embroiled in controversy over censorship of expressions of solidarity w ith Palestine. In 2017 the university censored the title of a Holoc aust sur v ivor’s talk on Israel after Israeli diplomats said its billing – “You’re doing to the Palestinians what the Nazis did to me” – amounted to antisemitic hate speech.

In a statement prov ided by the University of Manchester, Alistair Hudson, director of the Whitworth galler y, said it was important that the exhibition remains on show, but that it was “paused” on Sunday.

But, he added: “We recognise the concerns expressed about the inclusion of that statement w ithin the exhibition space and take these seriously, including regarding how it might be received by v isitors to the galler y and around its potential impact on some communities in the c ity, community cohesion and fostering good relations.”

Pro-Palestinian Artwork by Forensic Architecture Was Censored by University of Manchester

After learning that its statement had been removed from the exhibition, Forensic Architecture requested that its works be withdrawn from the exhibition.

by Hakim Bishara August 18,

2021

After censoring a pro-Palestinian message posted in an exhibition by the Londonbased research collective Forensic Architecture (FA), the Whitworth gallery at the University of Manchester has reversed its decision, allowing the exhibition, which was almost canceled, to continue with the original statement.

At the center of the dispute is a statement of solidarity with Palestinians posted by FA as part of its exhibition Cloud Studies at the Whitworth. The exhibition, which opened on July 2, examines air pollution as a tool of warfare against marginalized populations in countries including Palestine, Lebanon, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The exhibition also features FA’s investigation into “environmental racism” against US Black populations along the Mississippi River in Louisiana, who live in an area heavily polluted by large petrochemical facilities. Other exhibits address the pollution caused by tear gas, bomb clouds, and chemical weapons.

At the entrance to the exhibition, the group posted a statement addressing Israel’s 11-day war on Gaza in May. “We honor the courage of Palestinians who continue to document and narrate events on the ground and to struggle against this violence, apartheid and colonization,” the group wrote. “We believe that this liberation struggle is inseparable from other global struggles against racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and settler colonial violence and we acknowledge its particularly close entanglement with the Black liberation struggle around the world.”

The statement soon drew backlash from pro-Israel groups in Manchester and the UK at large, led by a group named UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

In a letter to Manchester University’s vice-chancellor Nancy Rothwell dated July 28, which was obtained by Hyperallergic, UKLFI’s director Daniel Berke labeled the exhibition as “propaganda” and warned that its use of “inflammatory language” might provoke “racial discord.”

Last week, members of UKLFI and local Zionist groups in Manchester met with representatives from Manchester University and the Whitworth gallery. In a blog post, UKLFI said that the university’s vice-president Nalin Thakkar delivered a written apology on behalf of the gallery, which reads: “We are very sorry for any distress which has been experienced by members of our Jewish community in connection with aspects of the Cloud Studies exhibition, particularly the accompanying written statement.”

“We note, and understand, the concerns expressed about the inclusion of that statement within the exhibition space, including regarding how it might be received by visitors to the gallery and around its potential impact on members of our Jewish community,” Thakkar’s letter continues, according to UKLFI’s blog post. “We consider it appropriate for it to be removed, which we have now done.”

This is the second time this year that UKLFI pressured the Whitworth to retract a statement of solidarity with Palestinians. In June, it successfully persuaded the

gallery to remove a statement that it had posted on its website in support of Palestinians, calling it “one-sided.”

After learning that its statement had been removed from the exhibition, FA requested to withdraw all of the collective’s works from the gallery. On Sunday, August 15, the gallery tweeted that the exhibition was closed due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

But today, August 18, while pro-Palestinian groups protested the gallery’s “racism and censorship” on campus, the Whitworth reversed its decision, allowing the exhibition to continue with FA’s original statement in support of Palestinians.

In a statement, the gallery said: “The University, as a non-political organisation, has tried to balance extremely complex issues raised by the exhibition, but we believe that the worst outcome for all parties concerned would have been to close

The statement added that the Whitworth has developed a “space which gives voice to different perspectives on the issues raised by the exhibition and help contextualise them.” The gallery did not specify the contents of the new installation but said it will be “displayed prominently in the gallery.” The gallery also said that it will be conducting a review of its governance around issues of free speech and artistic expression.

Samaneh Moafi, a senior researcher at FA, and Eyal Weizman, the group’s director and founder, arrived at the gallery today to personally reinstall the removed statement. FA shared a video with Hyperallergic showing Weizman nailing the statement to the gallery’s wall. “Today, Manchester reclaimed one of its cultural institutions for Palestine,” Moafi wrote in an Instagram post publicizing the action.

On Twitter, the Whitworth announced that it will be closed until tomorrow for “reinstallation.” The exhibition will resume later this week.

© 2022 Hyperallergic.

18.08.2021

Public Statement with regard to the Cloud Studies Exhibition Cloud Studies Exhibition

We recognise the Cloud Studies exhibition, by Forensic Architecture raises complex issues with widely differing views across different communities and, as a university and gallery, we are also mindful of our role in creating spaces for debate and in academic and artistic freedom.

The exhibition, and particularly a written statement by the artists displayed at its entrance, has led to some serious concern from a number of people and organisations, including local community groups.

Having considered these issues carefully with various stakeholders, we concluded last night that it is important for the exhibition to remain open in full at the Whitworth and we expect this to occur later this week. The University, as a non-political organisation, has tried to balance extremely complex issues raised by the exhibition, but we believe that the worst outcome for all parties concerned would have been to close this exhibition for an extended period of time

The exhibition, expresses the views of the contributing artists, who have perspectives that come from their own experiences and the experiences of the communities and organisations who commission them. They do not necessarily represent the views of The University of Manchester and have been strongly contested by some. The case studies address complex international issues.

The Whitworth, is mindful of artistic freedoms and the various duties which apply across the work of the gallery, including rights around freedom of speech and expression and academic freedom. These rights must be considered alongside other rights and obligations, including those under equality laws as well as reflecting on the challenges of such deeply divisive issues as those covered by the exhibition

Importantly, the Cloud Studies exhibition is shown in the protective and academic environment of a University gallery, and within the context of a history of art that has always encompassed provocation and challenge. Museums and galleries have traditionally been a space of experimentation and challenge, and the Whitworth is a place where we may be able to debate, discuss and disagree well, within a safe and empathetic environment.

Cloud Studies was produced by the Whitworth, The University of Manchester and Manchester International Festival.

What we are changing

We recognise the concerns raised, in particular about the inclusion of a written statement by Forensic Architecture, expressing their own views, displayed at the entrance to the exhibition That’s why the Whitworth has developed a space which gives voice to different perspectives on the issues raised by the exhibition and help contextualise them. It will be displayed prominently in the gallery

Whitworth Governance Matters

We have also been asked by a number of stakeholders about changes to our governance Considering the Government’s proposals to expand further, through legislation, the rights of freedom of speech and expression and academic freedom amongst institutions operating in the higher education sector, the need for a governance review was identified and agreed. This is entirely separate from any discussion regarding this exhibition and follows a major external review of the University wide governance

Alistair Hudson Director, The Whitworth The University of Manchester

Cloud Studies: Context and Controversy

*Note: A copy of the statement below was included in a display cabinet in the Whitworth Art Gallery during the Cloud Studies Exhibition. The references included in the statement to “the case” refer to the display cabinet.*

Cloud Studies brings together a body of work by the research agency Forensic Architecture, based at Goldsmiths, University of London The investigations included in the exhibition address complex international issues on which there is a range of deeply and widely held views within and across communities. We recognise the exhibition can be challenging and that it may create strong react ions and cause discomfort, including from those who disagree with its content. The entrance to the exhibition includes a printed statement authored by Forensic Architecture, titled ‘Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine’. The statement was written by Forensic Architecture and expresses their views.

The Whitworth, as part of The University of Manchester, is a non-political organisation and while respecting the right of the authors to express their views, they should not be considered to represent those of the Whitworth or the University. This case gives voice to some different perspectives on the subject matter raised in Forensic Architecture’s exhibition, and represents the views of the authors of those perspectives

We are aware that some elements of the statement of Forensic Architecture, and the statements included in this case, have been the subject of scrutiny, with some individuals and groups challenging aspects of the content, asserting that it is inaccurate and/or causes offence.

The statements raise complex issues with diverse and strong views held about the subject matter and how this is described by the authors. We also recognise that there are many different views and perspectives held on these issues, beyond the viewpoints represented here. Some individuals and groups have demanded that the statements are not displayed in our gallery; others have emphasised the importance of them being shown.

Having considered the range of views expressed, we have concluded that it is appro priate for the two statements included in this case to be displayed in our gallery, along with the statement of Forensic Architecture. We explain the key reasons for this below.

Museums and galleries have traditionally been a space of experimentation and challenge and we hope that the Whitworth can be a place where we may be able to debate, discuss and disagree well.

We have an important role in promoting artistic and academic freedom and creating a positive and inclusive environment for our community, which allows for diversity of perspectives and views. We recognise that advancing ideas and learning through debate is a critical part of what we do. We encourage and promote robust debate, which tolerates and understands different viewpoints, even on controversial topics. Seeking to educate, and facilitate understanding, are important to this. Our exhibitions often provide a platform for further enquiry.

In addition, as a university and gallery, there are various rights and duties which apply across our work, including the protection of academic freedom, freedom of speech and expression and duties under equality laws

Having regard to the above, but again recognising that this is complex, we consider that the best course of action is for the statements to be displayed within our gallery and, in line with the rights and

duties referred to above, to provide our community with information and a safe and empathetic environment which enables reflection and facilitates civil debate and discussion.

One issue which has generated debate is whether or not the statements contain material which is antisemitic. Our University, along with many others, is guided when interpreting and understanding antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, which is included below:

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities. ”

There is some further information about the IHRA definition, including illustrative examples, on the website of the IHRA (www.holocaustremembrance.com). The IHRA definition, and its adoption by universities, have been the subject of much debate, with a range of feelings, often quite strong, expressed on the subject.

We hope that through displaying these statements we are able to support constructive reflection and debate and promote further enquiry into these complex issues for our local and global communities

Greater Manchester Jewish Voice for Labour

Dear Nancy Rothwell, Nalin Thakkar and Alistair Hudson,

We are writing to you as official representatives of Greater Manchester Jewish Voice for Labour to condemn the appalling decision by the Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester University to accede to the unjustified demands of UK Lawyers for Israel and other pro -Israel lobby groups to remove a crucial element of the Forensic Architecture exhibition. The pretext for this demand was the false and vexatious accusation that the University “appears to have failed to comply with its Public Sector Equality Duty by not considering the impact of the inflammatory language and representations contained in the exhibition on Jewish people in Manchester”. This accusation could only be justified by a deliberate conflation of Jewish ethnicity with approval or responsibility for the actions of the Israe li state. Such a conflation is however itself universally recognised as a form of antisemitism. We note that the exhibition itself in no way suggests such a conflation, and any suggestion that Professor Eyal Weizman, the director of Forensic Architecture and a highly respected academic who is himself Israeli by birth, would make such a conflation is ludicrous. It is rather the implied conflation by UKLFI itself which renders the accusation particularly vexatious.

We are alarmed to learn that although the gallery has now reinstated the Director’s statement, it is intending to add a “space” to contextualise the issues raised in the exhibition. We condemn this decision. The crimes against humanity of settler colonialism against an entire indigenous people ca n never be euphemistically “contextualised” by reference to the inevitable resistance of the victims, nor can they be diminished by diversionary comparisons with other crimes against humanity in other times and places.

We note that by acceding to the unjus tified demands of UKLFI and other committed pro -Israel groups, the University has demonstrated precisely the institutional prejudice it claimed to be seeking to avoid. It did not consult any other community groups which may justifiably have felt aggrieved and threatened by such a blatant act of political censorship, which in effect sought to diminish a protest against the persecution of the Palestinian people. In particular it did not consult the Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim communities in Manchester; but neither did it consult any of the many different representative organisations of Jews who abhor the settler colonialism of the Israeli state. Moreover many such Jews regard with fear and horror the attempts by pro-Israel groups to assimilate them by de fault to Israel’s settler colonial project, considering Israel to be the greatest accelerator of antisemitism in the world today, to quote the words of a noted columnist, B.Michael of Israel’s leading newspaper Ha’aretz.

The response of the University to these vexatious complaints has demonstrated a moral weakness and intellectual confusion which is unworthy of a great university.

Unfortunately this is not the first occasion on which the University has demonstrated such confusion in its response to the totalitarian demands of pro -Israel lobbyists.

In 2017 the university compelled a holocaust survivor Marika Sherwood, to change the title of her talk because it compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to what she had suffered as a child. The change, together with other severe restrictions on free speech, came after pressure exerted by the then Israeli ambassador Mark Regev. The pr essure from the Israeli embassy only came to light after the Information Commissioner compelled the university to respond to a freedom of information request. This incident was even cited by Kenneth Stern, lead author of the IHRA definition of antisemitism in written evidence to the US Congress, as an example of the egregious effects which the misuse of the IHRA definition had had on academic freedom on campuses in the US and UK.

Remarkably however in 2017 the University refused to yield to a campaign by Jewish and Christian religious leaders to remove books by the notorious antisemitic historian David Irving from open display in the John Rylands University library. On that occasion the University issued the following robust defence of freedom of expression:

“The university is committed to allowing our students to have access to challenging and controversial works on many different subjects in order to pursue their studies. This approach in no way compromises the university’s fundamental rejection of discrimination which is at the heart of how we seek to educate students and pursue our research activities.”

Despite the toxic beliefs of Irving, we believe, in line with principles championed from J.S.Mill to Noam Chomsky, that that decision by the University was correct.

However we now feel obliged to ask: on what grounds did the University feel justified in respecting the freedom of expression of the antisemitic nazi apologist David Irving, while restricting the freedom of expression of Jewish antiracists Marika Sherwood and Eyal Weizman?

Best Regards,

Erica Burman

Alison Harris

Robert Lizar

George Wilmers

Deborah Windley

Executive Officers, Greater Manchester Jewish Voice for Labour

Opinion

Our art deals with real injustices, some in Palestine: no wonder we faced opposition

Forensic Architecture

Our battle to restore a statement to a Manchester exhibition was really about what can and can’t be said in cultural spaces

Fri 20 Aug 2021 16.35 BST

On Wednesday, protesters in Manchester reclaimed one of the city’s main cultural institutions. Despite the rain, pro-Palestine activists gathered in front of the closed doors of the Whitworth gallery, part of the University

of Manchester. It was bec ause of their persistent action, and 13,000 letters sent to the galler y, that part of our exhibition, a printed statement titled “Forensic Architecture stands w ith Palestine”, has been reinstated. The exhibition, which we insisted be shut as a result of the statement’s unilateral removal, has now reopened.

On Sunday 15 August, a blog post on the website of UK L aw yers for Israel ( UKLFI) announced that, follow ing the group’s inter vention, the statement had been removed from our exhibition, Cloud Studies. When we first heard of the news, we were not altogether surprised. The same group had already c ritic ised a statement of solidarity w ith Palestinians published on the Whitworth’s website in June, and succeeded in conv inc ing the university to have it removed. And this was hardly UKLFI’s first attack on us as an organisation. In 2018, when we were nominated for the Turner prize, UKLFI urged the Tate not to award the prize to us on the outrageous grounds that doc uments that we had published in relation to Palestine amounted to “modern blood libels likely to promote antisemitism and attacks on Jews”.

Forensic Architecture is not exactly an art collective, as some people refer to us. Rather, we are a university research group that works w ith communities at the forefront of conflict all over the world. We develop architectural tools and techniques to gather ev idence of human rights v iolations for use in national and international courtrooms, parliamentar y inquiries, c itizen tribunals, community forums, ac ademic institutions and the media. We also present our findings in galleries and museums when other sites of accountability are inaccessible.

Thus, though surprised by the Turner prize nomination, we chose to use the platform to unravel offic ial Israeli statements about the 18 Januar y 2017 killing of B edouin Palestinian Yaakub Abu al-Qi’an by Israeli police officers. We collaborated w ith residents of the Palestinian v illage of Umm al-Hiran and activ ists to produce an investigation, which collectively challenged the claims of Israeli offic ials that alQi’an was a “terrorist” and instead revealed a c ruel act of killing and a c rude coverup. The investigation’s conclusions were hard to contest – even Israel’s hard-right then prime minister B enjamin Netanyahu was eventually forced to apologise for the killing.

Our work is indic ative of the advent of a new kind of politic al art: one that is less interested in commenting on than inter vening in politic al realities. It is in this spirit that we exhibited Cloud Studies at the Whitworth. The title refers to the advent of meteorology in the 19th centur y in the combined work of sc ientists and artists, but rather than looking at the weather, the exhibition maps today’s toxic clouds: from teargas in the US, Palestine, and Chile, through to chemic al strikes in Syria, to those produced by extractive industries in Argentina, to the CO2 clouds c reated by forest

fires in Indonesia.

A key part of the exhibition is our study of env ironmental rac ism in L ouisiana –spec ific ally, a heav ily industrialised “petrochemic al corridor” along the Mississippi river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Residents of the majority-Black communities that border those fac ilities breathe some of the most toxic air in the countr y, and suffer some of the highest rates of c ancer.

In May, as we worked on the exhibition, the latest round of Israeli attacks on Gaza began. We followed closely as collaborators, friends and former staff in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine sent us horrific images in real time of the destruction Israeli forces were wreaking on their homes and businesses. When we w itnessed clouds of toxic fumes rising over the bombed-out chemic al fac ilities in B eit L ahia, it felt like a live rendition of our Cloud Studies.

Attacks extended also to art institutions: our close friend the Palestinian artist Emily Jac ir sent us v ideos that, despite offic ial denials to the contrar y, show ev idence of Israeli forces raiding Dar Jac ir, a v ital independent artist-run space in B ethlehem.

Our statement, whose inclusion in the exhibition had been approved during its planning stages by the Whitworth’s c urators, was written as these attacks were happening. We used terms such as “ethnic cleansing” and “apartheid” to desc ribe the polic ies of the Israeli government in Palestine, bec ause such characterisations desc ribe the reality of Palestinian life and are in keeping w ith the language of major Israeli and international human rights organisations, and have of course been used by Palestinians for dec ades. The term “settler colonialism”, similarly, has been used extensively by scholars to desc ribe Israeli polic ies in Palestine. If such terms are offensive, they are most offensive to those experienc ing the ever yday impact of such polic ies. Universities need to be places where such c ategories c an be presented, developed and debated, and our battle to reinstate the statement was really about what could be said w ithin an ac ademic and c ultural env ironment.

Pandering to groups such as UKLFI – an organisation that hosted a public event featuring the far-right Israeli settler organisation Regav im, which supports the demolition of Palestinian homes – is not only a v iolation of the princ iple of the freedom of expression, but also shows a lack of moral integrity. Our c ase is only one and not a partic ularly major example, of the smear c ampaign and legal attacks on Palestinian artists and intellectuals, many of whom face repression at the hands of Israeli occ upation authorities, and censorship and restrictions on their freedom of expression internationally. For us, the c ampaign by UKLFI to disc redit Forensic Architecture is part of such efforts to silence and intimidate. The fact that a

concerted effort managed to reverse Manchester University’s position, shows that such action c an and must be collectively resisted.

This battle at the Whitworth also has something to say to those in charge of c ultural polic y: as galleries inc reasingly look to host politic al art, institutions and public s alike should not be surprised when politic al art is, well, politic al.

Forensic Architecture is a research agenc y that investigates human rights v iolations including v iolence committed by states, police forces, militaries, and corporations.

This article was amended on 17 S eptember 2021 to reflect that at the time of public ation Israeli militar y offic ials had publicly denied knowledge of the raid on the Dar Jac ir arts centre.

The ICJP’s Statement Provided to the Whitworth Gallery

On 2 July, Whitworth Art Gallery premiered the “Cloud Studies” exhibition by Forensic Architecture. This included a message of solidarity with the people of Palestine and their struggle against apartheid, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian neighbourhoods, and a declaration that the Palestinian and Black liberation struggles are deeply linked. Some have challenged this statement. We provide here a factual and legal elaboration in support of Forensic Architecture’s statement.

On Apartheid

The conclusion that Israeli authorities are committing the crime against humanity of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians is strongly supported under international laws defining these crimes, and endorsed by leading international, Israeli, and Palestinian human rights organisations. As Human Rights Watch concluded in its report this year, the finding is “based on an overarching Israeli government policy to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians and grave abuses committed against Palestinians living in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.”

This conclusion is different from the claim that Israel is an ‘apartheid state’, or an ‘apartheid country’, which is a concept not defined in international law. The legal definition of apartheid – which is distinct from its uses as a comparative or descriptive tool – has for time has been detached from its original South African context. Originally coined in relation to South Africa, apartheid today is a universal legal term. It is crucial that we understand that apartheid has a legal definition, which is properly applicable to actions carried out by Israel. These are actions that should be viewed through the lens of the law:

In 1973, the international community defined apartheid as a crime against humanity, as part of the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (“Apartheid Convention”). The Apartheid Convention defines apartheid as “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them.”

Apartheid was further consolidated as a crime against humanity in the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which adopted a similar definition: “inhumane acts… committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.” Inhumane acts are identified in both the Apartheid Convention and the Rome Statute as “forcible transfer,” “expropriation of landed property,” “creation of separate reserves and ghettos,” and denial of the “the right to leave and to return to their country, [and] the right to a nationality”.

Israeli policies across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are designed to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians through systematic, legally sanctioned discrimination. The institutional discrimination that Palestinian citizens of Israel face includes laws that allow hundreds of small Jewish towns to effectively exclude Palestinians and budgets that allocate only a fraction of resources to Palestinian schools as compared to those that serve Jewish Israeli children. In the OPT, the severity of Israel’s repressive policies, including the imposition of draconian military rule on Palestinians while affording Jewish Israelis living in a segregated manner in the same territory their full rights under Israel’s rights-respecting civil law; restrictions on movement; land expropriation; forcible transfer, denial of residency and nationality; and the mass suspension of civil rights constitute the “inhuman[e] acts”, set out under the Apartheid Convention and the Rome Statute.

Furthermore, statements and actions by Israeli authorities in recent years, including the passage of a constitutional law establishing Israel as the “nation-state of the Jewish people,” and other new laws that further privilege Israeli settlers in the West Bank which do not apply to Palestinians, as well as the expansion of settlements, have clarified their intent to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis. This intent to maintain domination, coupled with the “inhuman[e] acts” described above together amount to the systematic oppression required for the crime of humanity of apartheid as defined by the Apartheid Convention and the Rome Statute of the ICC.

On the Black Lives Matter Movement

For decades, black liberation and Palestinian movements have articulated their support of one another as kindred struggles against systemic discrimination and racism. Black and Palestinian civil rights activists have long expressed their solidarity as mutual struggles in this context. Recent statements from Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement can attest to this claim: “Black Lives Matter stands in solidarity with Palestinians,” reads a recent tweet from the official BLM. The Black Lives Matter Platform in 2016 recognized that Israeli authorities are committing the crimes of apartheid and persecution.

On Ethnic Cleansing

Ethnic cleansing is not a defined term in international law, but is commonly understood as the forcible removal of a population from a territory due to their ethnic background. This is defined as “forced displacement” in international law. Israeli, Palestinian, and international human rights organisations have for decades documented the ways in which Israel has carried out policies that amount to forced displacement, including harsh conditions in parts of the West Bank that led to the forcible transfer of thousands of Palestinians out of their homes, denial of residency rights to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and their relatives in Israel, and the recent forced evictions in East Jerusalem.

Open debate and free enquiry are the cornerstones of a healthy, democratic society such as our own. Any attempt to stifle such debate, whether by jailing journalists and members of civil society, or by petitioning to have art exhibitions whose contents one doesn’t agree with removed, is an affront to the democratic principles we all hold dear. We invite the reader to explore the historiographical debates relating to Israel and Palestine, and immerse themselves in opposing narratives. Leave hold of the doctrinaire, and allow your chainless mind to do its own thinking.

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians

info@icjpalestine.com

International Centre of Justice for Palestinians is a not for profit company

registered at Companies House under number: 13054048

Registered address: Office 4, 219 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, W8 6ED

Three statements now posted at entrance to controversial Whitworth exhibition

BY JENNI FRAZER

AUGUST 22, 2021 12:10

A statement expressing Forensic Architecture’s solidarity with Palestine has been reinstated at the Whitworth in Manchester after the collective threatened to pull the solo exhibition.

Headed ‘Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine’ the note came at the end of the show, a wide-ranging study on the after effects of chemical attacks and pollution, incorporating

case studies from Syria Chile, Papua and Palestine itself. The sign went on to state: ‘We believe this liberation struggle is inseparable from other global struggles against racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and settler colonial violence and we acknowledge its particularly close entanglement with the Black liberation struggle around the world.’

A group of pro-Israel pressure groups, including the Manchester Jewish Representative Council, North West Friends of Israel and the Manchester Zionist Central Council, complained. UK Lawyers for Israel described the statement at the gallery, which is owned and operated by the University of Manchester as ‘inflammatory language’ that portrayed ‘Israel as an occupation force engaged in ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and human and environmental destruction.’

In a letter to the group, Professor Nalin Thakkar, the vice-president of the university, apologised and the the note was removed early last week.

On Wednesday however, gallery director Alastair Hudson said the show, and the note, will remain on display, but prominent space will be made for alternative points of view. ‘The university, as a non-political organisation, has tried to balance extremely complex issues raised by the exhibition, but we believe that the worst outcome for all parties concerned would have been to close this exhibition for an extended period of time’ he told the Guardian.

Forensic Architecture explained the reasoning behind their original statement: ‘While working on this exhibition, we witnessed with horror yet another attack by Israel’s occupation forces on Palestinians. Partners and friends in Gaza told us first-hand about their experiences of the attacks that destroyed multi-storey buildings, homes, the offices of news organisations, schools, hospitals and businesses. The ferocity of the bombing produced man made environmental disasters with underground explosions leading to artificial earthquakes under Gaza City.’

‘At the same time,the targeting of agricultural storage facilities produced massive ‘airquakes’, with clouds of toxic fumes covering entire residential areas. Elsewhere across Palestine, we saw the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian neighbourhoods by Israeli police and settlers, and raids and tear gas use against cultural centres, including that of our collaborators and friends in Dar Jacir.’

From Friday, visitors were also presented by a text authored by the Manchester Jewish Representative Council which said: ‘The Forensic Architecture exhibition within the Whitworth Art Gallery contains false statements. We ask visitors not to assume that any statement in that exhibition is true. You may wish to photograph this statement on your mobile so that you have it to hand as you see the exhibition.’

The text then went on to promote Israel as a democracy with a socially liberal attitude to sexuality and religion, as well making points concerning recent episodes in the IsraelPalestine conflict, refuting claims that it ‘occupied’ the Palestinian territory, as well as outlining the Jewish people’s historic claims to the land. It went on to refute Forensic Architecture’s analogy between the Palestinian struggle and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel commented on the two-note solution: ‘While we welcome this mitigation of some of the damage done by the misleading contents of the exhibition and its introductory statement, we remain concerned that the decision to host this exhibition was taken without due consideration of community relations.’

From: Eyal Weizman

Subject : JRC statement

Date: 20 September 2021 at 13:43:14 BST

To: Cc:

I am writing to you concerning a text you have placed at the entrance to Foren sic Architecture’s (FA) exhibition Cloud Studies, titled “Statement By The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region on the Forensic Architecture exhibition at the Whitworth Art Gallery” (JRC statement).

The JRC statement contains numerous factual inaccuracies, some blatant falsehoods that are misleading for visitors, and claims that are offensive, defamatory, and damaging to FA's reputation. FA and its legal representatives reserve the right to respond to these at a later stage.

This letter is regarding one such statement that is of greatest concern: in the fourth paragraph, JRC’s statement posits in relation to our exhibition that “to claim that Israel is a colonial enterprise is antisemitic” [emphasis in the original].

For comparison, this is the relevant paragraph from FA’s statement discussing colonialism: “We honour the courage of Palestinians who continue to document and narrate events on the ground and to struggle against this violence, apartheid and colonization. We believe that this liberation struggle is inseparable from other global struggles against racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and settler colonial violence and we acknowledge its particularly close entanglement with the Black liberation struggle around th e world” [emphasis added].

A text placed by the University of Manchester prominently at the path of visitors entering our exhibition thus accuses Forensic Architecture of having performed an antisemitic act. I remind you that by displaying the text, the University of Manchester is responsible for the potential damage and hurt it causes, regardless of whether it authored the text or not. Furthermore, by placing this statement prominently within university grounds, you create the understanding that anyone e lse making similarly informed claims regarding the colonial nature of Israel, will have performed an antisemitic act, essentially criminalizing critique of Israel’s well documented settler colonial policies and practices.

My contentions:

1. The paraphrasing of our statement is wrong, misleading, offensive, and damaging.

2. Colonialism is a political category. It refers to a system of rule that involves forcefully occupying and controlling a territory and the people within it. It may involve displacing the local population and settling the occupied territory, and/or exploiting it economically by other means.

3. There is abundant and incontrovertible evidence that Israel is performing all the actions mentioned above, including research by faculty members of the University of Manchester; in fact, this is the near-consensus view of the top scholars of colonialism. That Israeli spokespersons raise different theological and cultural justifications for the right of Israel to displace Palestinians and settle their lands, does not take away from the accuracy of the definition of their conduct as colonial. Most colonising states used theological and cultural grounds to justify their actions.

4. Claims made in our statement are descriptive of the reality in Palestine and can thus not be considered antisemitic.

5. The presentation of a statement that accuses FA of performing an antisemitic act is offensive and damaging to our reputation as human rights group which routinely collaborates with Amnesty International, Al-Haq Human Rights Center, B’Tselem, Greenpeace, The Guardian, Al -Jazeera, and the New York Times. That University of Manchester has endorsed a statement to be exhibited on its campus that accuses FA of antisemitism could have wide and long -term implications for us and our work.

6. The inclusion of the statement is an affront to academic and artistic freedoms of expression, as this statement by a group of Palestinian scholars made clear.

7. I believe that such false and damaging claims have been empowered by the University of Manchester accepting the IHRA’s muddled and unhelpful Working Definition of Antisemitism and its associated examples. The University of Manchester UCU branch passed a motion which condemned the way in which the IHRA definition was adopted in secret and without consultation with staff and with no guidance about how it would be implemented. I believe that the way in which you have acted demonstrates that the University’s UCU concerns were right.

8. The presentation of JRC’s statement demonstrates the inherent absurdity of the IHRA definition and illustrates what Palestinian academics in the UK and worldwide, many aca demics and activists in the UK, including myself and, prominently, University of Manchester faculty and students have been saying all along: that the IHRA working definition of antisemitism is limiting and intimidating research on Israel/Palestine.

9. I refer you to the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, developed by a group of international scholars in the fields of Holocaust history, Jewish studies, and Middle East studies, and particularly to para 15 therein which reads: “It is not antisemitic to point out systematic racial discrimination [by Israel]. Thus, even if contentious, it is not antisemitic, in and of itself, to compare Israel with other historical cases, including settler-colonialism or apartheid.”

10. In as much as it concerns the action of Israel, any definition of antisemitism must consider antiPalestinian racism. Chief amongst the manifestations of this form of violence and discrimination is the denial of the Palestinian Nakba, the denial of right of Palestinian refugees to return to their lands and the denial of Palestinian rights to resist the ongoing colonisation of Palestine, amongst others. I see no evidence that in any of its various actions concerning our exhibition, the University of Manchester has consulted and considered the offense and intimidation these actions may cause to Manchester’s and the University’s Palestinian community.

11. JRC’s claim that referring to Israel as a colonial state is antisemitic goes even beyond the terms and examples provided by the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, which precludes no such reference. Settler colonial states include most states in the Americas as well as Australia, New Zealand, and others. Most are considered democracies.

12. That the University of Manchester chose to display JRC’s statement limits the freedom of its students, faculty and of artists presenting at the Whitworth Gallery to undertake, publish or exhibit truthful, independent, scholarly research into Palestine.

13. I worry about the precedent this sets for research on other topics too, if organized groups will follow UKLFI and JRC’s example and place offensive statements in front of pu blic presentation of research regarding for example China, the UK, India, or France.

14. The inclusion of the statement has been greatly offensive to me as a Jewish person from a family that has suffered horrendous antisemitic persecution, as a professor with many students, and as a human rights defender and anti-racism activist with work in more than two dozen countries worldwide.

For the reasons above I request that the statement is promptly removed.

Sincerely,

Eyal Weizman

Whitworth gallery director Alistair Hudson forced out over Palestinian statement

M “ North of England correspondent

Tue 22 Feb 2022 16.37 GMT

The director of the Whitworth Art Gallery is being asked to leave his post by the University of Manchester, after a row when a statement of solidarity with Palestine’s “liberation struggle” was removed from an exhibition of works by a human rights investigations agency.

Alistair Hudson, who heads the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery, has been asked to leave by the university, the Guardian understands, after a series of complaints by UK Lawyers For Israel (UKLFI).

The university explicitly cited his response to the fallout from an exhibition that denounced Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians, sources say, a move that, in turn, was criticised as “stifling open debate and taming political art”.

UKLFI, which advocates for Israeli causes, told the Guardian it had “suggested that the university should take appropriate disciplinary action” against Hudson in September.

The controversy dates from August, when a statement of solidarity with Palestine that formed part of an exhibition by Forensic Architecture, a Turner prizenominated investigative agency, was removed after a complaint by UKLFI.

The group suggested the university could have breached its public sector equality duties by not considering the “impact of the inflammatory language and representations” in the Whitworth’s “Cloud Studies” exhibition on Jewish people in Manchester.

The exhibition explored how pollution, chemical attacks and the aftermath of explosions affect marginalised people in Syria, Beirut, Louisiana and Indonesia, as well as Palestine.

Forensic Architecture, whose digital models of crime scenes have been cited as evidence at the international criminal court, then demanded the immediate closure of its exhibit. Its founder, Eyal Weizman, a British-Israeli professor at Goldsmiths, expressed concerns about academic and artistic freedoms and stated the importance that the equality duty included Palestinians.

The university, which runs the gallery, reversed its decision, reopening the exhibition and agreeing to display “different perspectives on the issues raised by the exhibition and help contextualise them”.

Alistair Hudson has been asked to leave his post Photograph: Simon Webb/Manchester Art Gallery

Commenting on Hudson’s departure, Weizman said: “Alistair turned the Whitworth into an art space where the important questions of our time could be asked. His sacking is the last in series of bullying actions by the University of Manchester, which initially aimed at silencing our solidarity with Palestinians, then at stifling open debate and taming political art more generally. This move will shrink the space for art and artists.”

Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UKLFI, said the group had “pointed out to the university that the director of the Whitworth Art Gallery had falsely assured the vice-chancellor that they had established the accuracy and legalities of the work presented in the Forensic Architecture exhibition”.

“We suggested that the university should take appropriate disciplinary action,” Turner added.

The group said the exhibition included inaccuracies, and claimed a freedom of information request “showed no attempt had been made to check its accuracy”. Forensic Architecture strongly refutes the suggestion of any inaccuracies in the exhibition.

The agency has presented evidence in international and national courts and truth commissions. Their Turner-nominated piece investigated the fatal shooting of a Bedouin Palestinian, Yaakub Abu al-Qiyan, by Israeli police officers in 2017, questioning the official narrative of events. The former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2020 apologised for the killing. At the time of the nomination, UKLFI wrote to the Turner prize judges and the Tate director, arguing that previous work by Forensic Architecture lacked objectivity.

Hudson, who replaced Maria Balshaw when she was appointed director of Tate in 2017, joined from the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art in 2018. He is also codirector of the Asociación de Arte Útil, which promotes the idea of “useful art” alongside the Cuban artist and activist Tania Bruguera.

The Whitworth is currently exhibiting a solo show by Suzanne Lacy, a California artist whose previous exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery instigated an increase in cleaners’ wages at the institution.

When Hudson was appointed, the university spoke of his “wealth of experience at the forefront of the culture sector”. Prof James Thompson, the vice-president for social responsibility at the time, praised Hudson’s dedication “to the idea of cultural institutions as a force for promoting social change”, which, he said, “fits precisely with the mission of the Whitworth”.

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “We absolutely uphold academic freedom. Staffing matters are strictly internal to the university and we never comment on questions of this nature.”

This article was amended on 26 February 2022. An earlier version said UKLFI suggested Alistair Hudson should face disciplinary action “after the exhibition closed”; the group has told us this suggestion was actually made in September 2021, while the exhibition was ongoing. The earlier version also said UKLFI criticised Forensic Architecture’s Turner-nominated work, whereas it was a previous work, Gaza Platform, about which it made representations to the judges.

Politics

A Manches te r Museu m Di r ec to r Ha s Bee n

For ce d Ou t Af te r a Gr ou p o f P r o-Is r ae l

Att orney s Objec te d t o Hi s F or ensi c

Ar chi t ectu re Sho w

The human-rights research group included a statement in support of Palestine in its show.

Sarah Cascone February 23, 2022

The University of Manchester is forcing out Alistair Hudson from his position as director of the Whitworth Art Gallery after he showed the work of Forensic Architecture (http://forensic-architecture.org), a human rights research group that has been nominated for the Turner Prize, and its statement in support of Palestine.

The show, “Cloud Studies, (https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/pastexhibitions/cloudstudies-mif/)” which took place last year, featured Forensic Architecture’s identification of possible human rights violations tied to poor air quality in Beirut, Louisiana, and Palestine. It initially included a statement of solidarity that began “Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine. While working on this exhibition we witnessed with horror yet another attack by Israel’s occupation forces on Palestinians.”

Citing complaints by U.K. Lawyers For Israel, the university has reportedly asked Hudson to resign from his post, which he has held since October 2017

(https://manchesterartgallery.org/news/alistair-hudson-appointed-new-director-manchester-artgallery-university-manchesters-whitworth/). Hudson also serves as director of the Manchester Art Gallery, and it is unclear if the resignation applies to both jobs.

“This story makes clear yet again that the anti-colonial struggle in support of Palestine and elsewhere has to be fought within and sometimes against our public institutions, including universities and art and cultural spaces,” Forensic Architecture founder Eyal Weizman, a professor at Goldsmiths in London, told Artnet News. “No conscientious curator could now take over Alistair’s job, and no artist would want to show their work within the stifling walls of the Whitworth.”

Alistair Hudson has been asked to step down as director of the Manchester Art Gallery. Photo by Simon Webb, courtesy of the Manchester Art Gallery.

When the U.K. Lawyers For Israel complained that the language contained “inflammatory misrepresentations,” Nalin Thakkar, the vice-president University of Manchester, agreed to remove the text. Forensic Architecture countered by removing several pieces from the show and demanding the exhibition’s closure.

The galley pushed back, and reopened the show with the original statement, pledging to add “different perspectives on the issues raised by the exhibition and help contextualize them.” In September, the lawyer group wrote again (https://www.uklfi.com/whitworth-gallery-directorreportedly-in-trouble-following-forensic-architecture-controversy) to the university, insisting that the university “should consider appropriate disciplinary action against Mr. Hudson.”

F o r e n s i c A r c h i t e c t u r e “ C l o u d S t u d i e s ” a t t h e W h i t w o r t h A r t G a l l e r y U n i v e r s i t y o f M a n c h e s t e r

“ T h e d i r e c t o r o f t h e W h i t w o r t h A r t G a l l e r y h a d f a l s e l y a s s u r e d t h e v i c e - c h a n c e l l o r t h a t t h e y h a d e s t a b l i s h e d t h e a c c u r a c y a n d l e g a l i t i e s o f t h e w o r k p r e s e n t e d i n t h e F o r e n s i c

A r c h i t e c t u r e e x h i b i t i o n , ” J o n a t h a n Tu r n e r, c h i e f e x e c u t i v e o f t h e L a w y e r s F o r I s r a e l , t o l d t h e G u a r d i a n ( h t t p s : / / w w w t h e g u a r d i a n c o m / a r t a n d d e s i g n / 2 0 2 2 / f e b / 2 2 / w h i t w o r t h - g a l l e r y -

d i r e c t o r - a l i s t a i r - h u d s o n - f o r c e d - o u t - o v e r - p a l e s t i n i a n - s t a t e m e n t ) , w h i c h f i r s t r e p o r t e d t h e s t o r y ( T h e g r o u p f i l e d a f r e e d o m o f i n f o r m a t i o n r e q u e s t w i t h t h e u n i v e r s i t y , w h i c h i t c l a i m s p r o v e s t h e r e w a s n o i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n t o t h e a c c u r a c y o r p o t e n t i a l n e g a t i v e c o n s e q u e n c e s o f t h e w o r k )

T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f M a n c h e s t e r h a s d e c l i n e d t o c o m m e n t “ C l o u d S t u d i e s ” i s c u r r e n t l y o n v i e w i n “ N e w E l e m e n t s ” a t t h e N e w Tr e t y a k o v G a l l e r y , M o s c o w

L'Internationale Confederation Opinions S tatement on t he dismissal of Alistair Hudson

L’Internationale European museum confe deration calls on the University of Manchester to reverse its decision to dismiss Alistair Hudson, a long time collaborator of the confe deration, as dire ctor of the Whitworth and Manchester Art Galleries. We believe it is profoundly wrong for the University of Manchester to implement the policy of the lobby group UK L awyers for Israel, following their obje ctions to the statement of support that was part of Forensic ’s Archite cture ‘Cloud Studies’ exhibition. Not only does the University ’s de cision serve to silence critical debate regarding the Palestinian occupation, it sets a dangerous pre cedent for the influence of spe cial interest groups over publicly funde d cultural institutions We believe that the space for art to bring forth urgent discussion, without fear or favour, is vital to the functioning of democracy and its institutions The removal of Alistair Hudson is an attack on art’s ability to place pressing questions in the public domain and serves to stifle discussion, embolden forms of censorship and diminish debate

At the same time, the de cision of Manchester University deprives Manchester, the UK and the cultural field at large of one of the most reforming museum dire ctors in the field. Alistair Hudson’s policies concerning in the role art can play in bringing about social change, how institutions are places driven by the ne e ds and desires of their publics and his implementation of non-hierachical forms of museum management is an exemplary case of muse ological experimentation, exceptional in the UK context and re cognise d internationally. The de cision to remove him is a fundamental failure to me et the responsibility of European universities and cultural institutions to defend an open, discursive space where art and ideas should be de eply respe cte d.

Signe d,

L’Internationale Museum Confederation

Zdenka Badovinac, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb

Bart de Baere, Director, Museum van He dendaagse

Kunst Antwerp

Manuel Borja Villel, Director, Muse o Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid

Fatma Çolakoglu, Director of Programmes and Research, SALT Istanbul

Elvira Dyangani Ose, Director, MACBA, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona

Charles Esche, Director, Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven

Joanna Mytkowska, Director, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw

Dear Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice Chancellor, University of Manchester,

As artists participating in the British Art Show 9 which is due to tour to Manchester in May, we are outraged and appalled by the University of Manchester ’s attempt to force Director Alistair Hudson to resign from The Whitworth after pressure from the UK Lawyers for Israel. The unfolding of events in response to the statement of solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle exhibited by Forensic Architecture during their exhibition ‘Cloud Studies’ at The Whitworth in 2021 is a direct attack on political freedom and artistic expression

We condemn the University’s capitulation to continued UKLFI pressure and demands, which sets a very dangerous precedent, particularly in the spaces we often work: cultural institutions, galleries and higher education We stand in full support and solidarity with the entire Whitworth staff, who have made the institution an exemplar of a civic public space and a useful museum We believe there is neither space for such actions nor possible engagement with the University and its platforms, especially when public expression is limited, and evidence for human rights violations is obscured Truth needs to be made public, and cultural spaces have to remain open for difficult discussions

Operating a museum that is useful to a varied host of communities does not come without conflict or discomfort. However a museum has to learn and practise these conflicts besides our, at times, differing opinions Between our various artistic practices, we share values that strive for social justice BAS 9 exhibition is structured around the curatorial framework of healing, care and reparative history; tactics of togetherness and imagining new futures, which is at odds with recent events Our deep commitment to these themes under fear of censorship makes it impossible to continue our engagement with the University of Manchester given the current position of the institution

In solidarity with the ongoing liberation struggle of Palestine and Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation; in support of political freedom, and artistic expression in cultural institutions and universities across the UK, as BAS 9 artists we have decided to pull our work out of the exhibition’s iteration in Manchester unless meaningful reparative measures are taken

In solidarity,

Zach Blas

Kathrin Böhm

Maeve Brennan

James Bridle

Helen Cammock

Jamie Crewe

Mandy El-Sayegh

Mark Essen

Beatrice Gibson

Celia Hempton

Lawrence Lek

Ghislaine Leung

Paul Maheke

Oscar Murillo

Uriel Orlow

Florence Peake

Heather Phillipson

Joanna Piotrowska

Margaret Salmon

Hrair Sarkissian

Cooking Sections

Tai Shani

Hanna Tuulikki

Sin Wai Kin

Alberta Whittle

Rehana Zaman

Statement of opposition to the a empt to force out Whit wo h A Galler y director, Alistair Hudson, signed by University of Manchester sta

Staff across the University of Manchester (UoM) are gravely concerned and outraged at the attempt to force out the Whitwor th Ar t Galler y ( WAG) director, Alistair Hudson over the Forensic Architecture exhibition, Cloud Studies August 2021 (https://www theguardian com/ar tanddesign/2022/feb/22/whitwor th-galler y-directoralistair-hudson-forced-out-over-palestinian-statement?fbclid=IwAR0Ii25f7AFrZJr7jThwto6gtUJ O3jPepCXdeWA zGjIyzrraRv0dzvY W8) We demand that he be reinstated and an apology issued by the UoM to this grave violation of academic and ar tistic freedom of expression

The WAG has a duty to provide a space for freedom of ar tistic and academic expression to its exhibitors The UoM has a duty to protect and suppor t staff against attacks on academic and ar tistic freedom of expression We believe that these two basic principles have been violated by the UoM through this action and the actions under taken in August 2021, which were opposed by staff and students at the time

These actions were:

1 In August 2021, WAG was pressured into removing a solidarity statement from the Cloud Studies exhibition by the award-winning university research group, Forensic Architecture This message of solidarity was expressed to the Palestinian people following the aerial bombardment in Gaza and house evictions in East Jerusalem - both actions violated the laws of war and international humanitarian law as repor ted by Human Rights Watch and the United Nations (https://www hr w org/news/2021/07/27/gaza-apparent-war-crimes-duringmay-fighting#; https://news un org/en/stor y/2021/05/1091492 ) The text of the statement is here: https://forensic-architecture org/programme/news/forensic-architecture-standswith-palestine-whitwor th-exhibition-statement

2 The UoM demanded that WAG remove the statement in response to complaints by an outside body, UK Lawyers for Israel, that the statement was antisemitic After demonstrations from staff and students (including over 13 000 letters of suppor t for Forensic Architecture sent to the UoM senior management team) the solidarity statement was reinstated, but a counter statement was exhibited alongside it

It is damaging and dangerous that the UoM suppor ted the idea that a statement against Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people was an act of antisemitism, and forced its removal This was not only a violation of the academic freedom of Forensic Architecture, but also a violation of the principle that universities should provide a space for free critical inquir y and opinion

Forcing out the WAG director six months after the event is therefore not only punitive, but also shows that the UoM will not suppor t and defend its staff when and if under pressure from outside organisations

We believe that this action sends a chilling message to all staff and students that they can lose their jobs or be expelled if an outside body disagrees with work being conducted on university campus

It also shows that UoM is not a nur turing and open space for enquir y and critical discussions about racism, colonialism, occupation, apar theid, and other international instances and experiences of oppression It is the duty of universities to provide a suppor tive environment for staff and students to discuss these issues, express solidarity, and hopefully build a better future, without the fear of censorship and other punitive actions being taken against them

We demand that the UoM reinstate Alistair Hudson and apologise to WAG, the wider UoM staff, and UoM students for this grave violation of the principle of academic and ar tistic freedom We also extend our solidarity to the Palestinian people for the right to live with freedom and in dignity

To add your signature, please enter your name below - University of Manchester staff only (academic PS emerita/emeritus) If you are not UoM staff please instead sign the public petition that is circulating The letter will be updated with new signatories daily

Signed

1 Professor Mandy Turner, Professor of Conflict, Peace and Humanitarian Affairs, HCRI

2 Dr Ümit Kemal YILDIZ MIE

3 Kylie Gilchrist, PGR and GTA, Depar tment of Ar t Histor y

4 Dr Simin Fadaee, Senior Lecturer, Depar tment of Sociology

5 Stephanie Sodero, Lecturer in Responses to Climate Crises, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute

6 Dr Alexia Yates, Histor y

7 Dr Nick Thoburn, Reader, Depar tment of Sociology

8 Dr Jessica Hawkins, Senior Lecturer in Humanitarian studies, HCRI

9 Geoff Blunt, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

10 Moshe Behar, Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies

11 Dr Sabine Sharp, GTA in English, American Studies and Creative Writing

12 Dr Seth Schindler, Senior Lecturer in Urban Development and Transformation, Global Development Institute

13 Professor Tim Jacoby

14 Dr Maria Rusca, Global Development Institute

15 Dr David Swanson, MIE

16 Dr Mato Lagator, Sir Henr y Dale fellow, FBMH

17 Professor Erica Burman, Manchester Institute of Education

18 Dr Tanja Bastia, Reader, Global Development Institute

19 Tomas Frederiksen, Senior lecturer, GDI

20 Dr Molly Geidel, English, American Studies and Creative Writing

21 Dr Tom Gillespie Global Development Institute

22 Dr Christopher Foster, Global Development Institute

23 Dr Cristina Temenos, Senior Lecturer, Geography

24 Dr Janelle Hixon, GTA, Ar t Histor y and Cultural Practices

25 Morgan Rhys Powell, Depar tment of Sociology, UMUCU joint Anti-Casualisation Officer

26 Francisco Espinoza, PGR and GTA Politics

27 Francisca Álvarez, PhD researcher, GDI

28 Emeritus Professor Chris Rober ts Centre for Biostatistics

29 Dr Hilar y White, English Literature, American Studies and Creative Writing

30 Emeritus Professor, Roseanne McNamee, Centre for Biostatistics

31 Dr Roisin Read, HCRI

32 Aneez Esmail, Professor of General Practice, FBMH

33 Niels Weijenberg, PGR, Ar t Histor y and Cultural Practices

34 Chris Millson, Librar y

35 Dr Meghan Tinsley, Presidential Fellow, Sociology

36 Dr Graham Smith Law

37 Judy Thorne, Social Anthropology

38 Phoebe Harding-Walker, PGR and GTA Psychology

39 Dr Petra Nordqvist, Senior Lecturer, Sociology

40 Lou Miller, School of Environment, Education and Development

41 Professor Bridget Byrne, Sociology

42 Nathalie Perl, Sustainable Consumption Institute

43 Professor Matthew Paterson Politics

44 Professor Aristea Koukiadaki, School of Social Sciences

45 Pedro Silva Rocha Lima, Social Anthropology

46 Professor Emerita, Jennifer Mason, Sociology

47 Dr Leah Gilman, Research Fellow in Social Sciences

48 Dr Catherine Ar thur, HCRI

49 Althea Cupo, Institute for Cultural Practices

50 Dr Stephen Hicks, School of Health Sciences

51 Professor Ian Parker Manchester Institute of Education

52 Dr Laura Fenton, Research Associate, SEED

53 Professor Iain Scobbie, Professor of Public International Law, Director of the Manchester International Law Centre

54 Dr Santiago Leyva Del Río, Research Associate, Geography

55 Professor Jackie Stacey, English, American Studies and Creative Writing

56 Dr Rober t Meckin, Sociology, SoSS

57 Professor Ber trand Taithe, Histor y and HCRI

58 Katy Jackson PGR Institute for Cultural Practices

59 Dr Henrik Ernstson, Lecturer, Dept of Geography

60 Professor James Nazroo, Depar tment of Sociology

61 Prof David Alderson, Depar tment of English, Creative Writing and American Studies

62 Phil Reed, Librar y

63 Dr Luke Bhatia, Politics

64 Emilia Howker, PGR/ST, Manchester Institute of Education

65 Dr Rubina Jasani

66 Dr Aoileann Ní Mhurchú

67 Dr Antoine Burgard, HCRI

68 Dr Franco Galdini, Politics

69 Professor Vivien Walsh, Alliance Manchester Business School

70 Professor Vanessa May, Sociology

71 Dr Luke Yates, Lecturer, SoSS

72 Dr Nicola Banks, GDI

73 Dr Joanna Taylor

74 Prof Peter Knight, English & American Studies

75 Professor Liam Har te, English, American Studies and Creative Writing

76 Professor Ben Harker, EAC

77 Dr Claire Reddleman, Ar t Histor y and Cultural Practices

78 Dr Richie Nimmo, Senior Lecturer, Depar tment of Sociology

79 Dr Anke Bernau, English and American Studies

80 Prof David Matthews English depar tment

81 Ms Frances Leviston, English, American Studies & Creative Writing

82 Dr Sundhya Walther, EAC

83 Dr Adam Ozanne, School of Social Sciences

84 Manasij Pal Chowdhur y, School of Ear th and Environmental Sciences

85 Jennifer Blake, University of Manchester Librar y

86 Emeritus Professor Elena Lieven, Human Communication, Development & Hearing

87 Dr Saskia Warren, Geography

88 Diana Kealey American Studies and International Office

89 Dr Nadim Mirshak, Sociology

90 Dr Alice Sverdlik, Lecturer in Social Development, GDI

91 Professor Jerome de Groot, EACW

92 Professor Philippa Browning, Depar tment of Physics and Astronomy

93 Karen Clarke, Politics

94 Dr Michele Abendstern, Division of Population Health, Health Ser vices Research and Primar y Care

95 Dr Peter McMylor, Depar tment of Sociology

96 Prof Eithne Quinn, English and American Studies

97 Pat Devine, Honorar y Research Fellow

98 Prof Steven Jones, Manchester Institute of Education

99 Dr Howard Booth, English Literature, English Literature, American Studies and Creative Writing

100 Liz Ackerley, Geography

101 Jeanette Edwards Social Anthropology

102 Dr Teresa O Brien Education

103 Dr Abigail Gilmore, Ar t Histor y & Cultural Practices

104 Frances Liddell, Institute for Cultural Practices

105 Ismail Er turk, Alliance Manchester Business School

106 Frances Liddell, Institute for Cultural Practices

107 Dr Alexandra D’Onofrio, Social Anthropology

108 Dr Andy Hardman, Ar t Histor y and Cultural Practices

109 Dr Kostas Ar vanitis, Ar t Histor y and Cultural Practices

110 Prof Andrew Ir ving, Social Anthropology

111 Dr J Michelle Coghlan, Senior Lecturer in American Studies, EACW

112 Dr Emma Mar tin, Ar t Histor y and Cultural Practices

113 Annie Harrison, Division of Population Health, Health Ser vices Research and Primar y

Care

114 Dr Michael Sanders, Senior Lecturer, English Literature, American Studies & Creative

Writing

115 Professor Gar y Younge, Sociology

116 Dr Lloyd Cawthorne, Physics and Astronomy

117 Dr Jenna Mittelmeier, Manchester Institute of Education

118 Horatio Clare, Lecturer, Non-fiction, English, American Studies and Creative Writing

119 Dr Remi Joseph-Salisbur y, Sociology

120 Stian Soiland-Reyes, Depar tment of Computer Science

121 Dr Petra Tjitske Kalshoven, Social Anthropology

122 Elizabeth Gow John Rylands Research Institute and Librar y

123 Aleksandra Szymczyk, Postgraduate Researcher, Depar tment of Social Anthropology

124 Dr Alexandra Ciocanel, Social Anthropolog

125 Luan Carpes Barros Cassal, Manchester Institute of Education

126 Jérémie Voirol, Social Anthropology

127 Dr Ivette Hernandez, Lecturer, SoSS

128 Vona Groarke, English, American Studies & Creative Writing

129 Prof Khalid Nadvi Global Development Institute

130 Dr Luca Scholz, Digital Humanities

131 Dr Daniel Welch, Sociology

132 Dr Naomi Baker, English, American Studies and Creative Writing

133 Professor Judith Aldridge, Criminology

134 Dr Naomi Baker, English, American Studies and Creative Writing

135 Dr Sue Taylor, FBMH, SBS

136 Dr Claire Fox, Criminology

137 Dr Lisa Williams Dept of Criminology

138 Dr Safina Islam, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, University Manchester Librar y

139 Dr Annie Dickinson, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre

140 Dr Jo Deakin, Criminology

141 Dr Dalia Mostafa, Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies

142 Dr Sophie Everest, Lecturer in Film Practice, Drama and Film Depar tment

143 Neil Walton, Mathematics

144 Dr Laura Bui, Criminology

145 Indranil Dutta, School of Social Sciences

146 Maya Sharma, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, University of Manchester Librar y

147 Dr Sally Jacobs, Lecturer SHS

148 Luke Kelly, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute

149 Professor John O'Neill, Philosophy

150 Patricia Morris, Theology

151 James Lawrence Slatter y, School of Ar ts, Language, and Culture

152 Joseph Hunter English American Studies & Creative Writing

153 Tom Drew, PhD Candidate, Russian and Eurasian Studies

154 Megan Wilson, English, American Studies and Creative Writing

155 Prof Daniela Caselli, EAC

156 Dr Ahmed Bhayat, Computer Science

157 Morgan Hale, PhD researcher and Graduate Teaching Assistant, Music

158 Dr Mar tha Hilton, Physics and Astronomy

159 Shezad Mohamed, PhD and GTA, Mathematics

160 Dr Dharmi Kapadia Sociology

161 Dr Nigel de Noronha Cathie Marsh Institute

162 Dr Silke Trommer, Politics

163 Dr Carlos van Tongeren, Modern Languages and Cultures

164 Dr Ilaria Bernocchi, Ar t Histor y and Cultural Practices

165 Dr Brian Wallace, John Rylands Research Institute and Librar y

166 Fiona Por ter, Physics & Astronomy

167 Dr Alicia J Rouverol School of Ar ts Languages and Cultures

168 Prof Georgina Waylen, Politics

169 Dr Judith McGovern, Physics and Astronomy

170 John Churcher, Psychology

171 Emeritus Professor David Denison, Linguistics and English Language and English

Language

172 Dr Lydia Morris, Clinical Psychology

173 Ameur Bayar, School of Biological Sciences

174 Dr Jenny K Rodriguez, Alliance Manchester Business School

175 Professor Emerita Alison Wearden Psychology & Mental Health

176 Dr Susan Hogan

177 Emeritus Professor Ian Plewis, Social Statistics

178 Ahmad Alam GTA, School of Computer Science

179 Dr Nathaniel Andrews, Modern Languages and Cultures

180 Laura Caradonna, Collection care team leader, University of Manchester librar y

181 Dr Rober t Spencer

182 Dr Aneeqa Khan, Research Fellow, M ACE

183 Simon Holden Depar tment of Chemistr y

184 Professor Emeritus Stephanie Barrientos

185 Rachel Law, Dalton Nuclear Institute

186 Dr Stephanie Rinaldi, HCRI

187 Dr Catherine Rober ts, Ar t Histor y & Cultural Practices

188 Emeritus Professor Peter Gatrell, Histor y

189 Prof Miguel Mar tinez Lucio, AMBS

190 Ros Bell, Librar y

191 Carlene Bar ton, eLearning Technologist, PSS, Librar y

192 Dave Hirst, Librar y

193 Adam Cooke, University Librar y

194 Padma Inala, University of Manchester Librar y

195 Professor Julian Williams, MIE

196 Professor Sam Hickey, Global Development Institute

197 Dr Angela Minas, M ACE

FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE:

198 Eyal Weizman, Director of Forensic Architecture

199 Dr Samaneh Moafi, Forensic Architecture

200 Dimitra Andritsou, Forensic Architecture

201 Sarah Nankivell, Forensic Architecture

202 Nicholas Master ton, Forensic Architecture

203 Kishan San Forensic Architecture

204 Elizabeth Breiner, Forensic Architecture

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Statement on the Forced Resignation of Alistair Hudson

2 March 2022

Statement on the Forced Resignation of Alistair Hudson, Director of Whitworth Art Gallery, by the University of Manchester

The Museum Watch Committee (MWC) expresses our deep concern regarding the forced removal of Alistair Hudson from his post as Director of the Whitworth Art Gallery , an institution under the University of Manchester. The proposal to dismiss Hudson after almost 4 years successfully directing both the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery comes as a great shock and the MWC demands that the conditions of his dismissal be made more transparent

Hudson is alleged to be in the process of being dismissed due to the dispute over the Whitworth’s exhibition of Cloud Studies by the investigative agency Forensic Architecture, commissioned and produced by the Whitworth, the University of Manchester, and Manchester International Festival for the Festival’s 2021 edition. Cloud Studies is an investigation into environmental racism and included a section on the environmental degradation as a result of violence by Israeli forces in occupied Palestinian territories. As the conflict was seen to be

Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester.

w o r s e n i n g a t t h e t i m e o f Cloud Studies e x h i b i t i o n , F o r e n s i c A r c h i t e c t u r e w i s h e d t o p u t u p a s t a t e m e n t e x p r e s s i n g s o l i d a r i t y w i t h t h e p e o p le o f P a le s t i n e a g a i n s t v i o le n c e a g a i n s t i t s p e o p le

a n d t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e i r l a n d H u d s o n s o u g h t a d d i t i o n a l , e x p r e s s e d c le a r a n c e f r o m t h e

Un i v e r s i t y ’ s s e n i o r le a d e r s h i p f o r t h e a r t i s t t o e x h i b i t t h i s s t a t e m e n t , a r o u n d l y a g r e e a b le m e a s u r e .

R e g a r d le s s, F o r e n s i c A r c h i t e c t u r e ’ s s t a t e m e n t w a s v i e w e d a s i n f l a m m a t o r y b y U K L a w y e r s f o r I s r a e l ( U K L F I ) , a lo n g s i d e t h e M a n c h e s t e r J e w i s h R e p r e s e n t a t i v e C o u n c i l (J R C ) , N o r t h

We s t F r i e n d s o f I s r a e l ( N W F o I ) , a n d t h e

M a n c h e s t e r Z i o n i s t C e n t r a l C o u n c i l ( ZC C )

T h e y c i t e d t h e s t a t e m e n t a s b e i n g “ f a c t u a l l y i n c o r r e c t a n d d a n g e r o u s l y o n e - s i d e d a c c o u n t o n a n e x t r e m e l y c o m p le x f o r e i g n p o l i c y i s s u e ”

I t i s c le a r t h a t t h e U K L F I w i l l t a k e i s s u e w i t h f i n d i n g s o n I s r a e l i - o c c u p i e d P a le s t i n e t h a t r u n s c o n t r a r y t o t h e i r s t a n c e : t h e g r o u p h a d p r e v i o u s l y d i s p u t e d t h e a c c u r a c y o f Gaza Platform, a l s o b y F o r e n s i c A r c h i t e c t u r e , d e s p i t e i t s f i n d i n g s b e i n g s u p p o r t e d b y s e v e r a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l H u m a n R i g h t s o r g a n i s a t i o n s .

F o r e n s i c A r c h i t e c t u r e s t a n d s w i t h Pa le s t i n e

T h e e x h i b i t e d s t a t e m e n t w a s r e m o v e d , w i t h o u t

c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h t h e a r t i s t , a f t e r d i s c u s s i o n s b e t w e e n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f M a n c h e s t e r Un i v e r s i t y ,

W h i t w o r t h Ga l le r y , a n d t h e I s r a e l i - r e l a t e d o r g a n i z a t i o n s V i c e - C h a n c e l lo r P r o f e s s o r D a m e N a n c y R o t h w e l l a p o lo g i z e d f o r a n y “ d i s t r e s s w h i c h h a s b e e n e x p e r i e n c e d b y m e m b e r s o f o u r J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h a s p e c t s o f t h e C lo u d S t u d i e s e x h i b i t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e a c c o m p a n y i n g w r i t t e n s t a t e m e n t ” F o r e n s i c A r c h i t e c t u r e o n l y le a r n e d o f t h e s t a t e m e n t ’ s r e m o v a l t h r o u g h U K L F I ’ s w e b s i t e a n d d e m a n d e d t h a t t h e e x h i b i t i o n b e c lo s e d a s i t s w o r k h a d b e e n c o m p r o m i s e d Cloud Studies w a s c lo s e d f o r a b r i e f p e r i o d b e g i n n i n g 1 5 A u g u s t 2 0 2 1 , d u r i n g w h i c h H u d s o n le d d i s c u s s i o n s b e t w e e n s t a k e h o l d e r s t o r e a c h a c o m p r o m i s e

D e s p i t e p r e s s u r e f r o m a l l s i d e s, H u d s o n ’ s m e d i a t i o n d i d m a n a g e a r e s p e c t a b le c o m p r o m i s e t h e

W h i t w o r t h r e o p e n e d Cloud Studies a c c o m p a n i e d b y a f r a m i n g s t a t e m e n t , t h e U K L F I ’ s c o u n t e r s t a t e m e n t , a n d a n o t h e r f r o m r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f P a le s t i n e . A s i g n e d s t a t e m e n t f r o m H u d s o n w a s p o s t e d t o W h i t w o r t h ’ s w e b s i t e e x p l a i n i n g t h e Ga l le r y ’ s d e c i s i o n a n d p o s i t i o n t o t h e p u b l i c . Gi v e n t h e c o n v i c t i o n o f a l l p a r t i e s a s t o t h e i r o w n p o s i t i o n s a n d t h e u r g e n c y o f h a v i n g t h i s e x h i b i t i o n s t a y o p e n t o t h e p u b l i c i t s e r v e s, t h e c o m p r o m i s e r e a c h e d w a s a d m i r a b le H i s a r b i t r a t i o n u l t i m a t e l y a l lo w e d t h e e x h i b i t i o n t o r e m a i n o p e n t o t h e p u b l i c , m a i n t a i n e d t h e i n t e g r i t y o f t h e a r t w o r k w i t h t h e a r t i s t ’ s a g r e e m e n t , a n d m a n a g e d t h e r e l a t i o n s o f s t a k e h o l d e r s i n v o l v e d

F o l lo w i n g t h i s a g r e e m e n t , h o w e v e r , t h e U K L F I t h e n s u b m i t t e d a F r e e d o m o f I n f o r m a t i o n r e q u e s t t o t h e Un i v e r s i t y d e m a n d i n g f u r t h e r e v i d e n c e f o r m e d i a t i o n b e t w e e n d i f f e r e n t e t h n i c , n a t i o n a l , a n d r e l i g i o u s g r o u p s o w i n g t o t h e c o n t e n t o f t h e e x h i b i t i o n , a n d p r o o f o f f a c t c h e c k i n g W h e n t h e Un i v e r s i t y c o u l d n o t s u b m i t i n f o r m a t i o n r e le v a n t t o s p e c i f i c p o i n t s i n t h e U K L F I ’ s r e q u e s t , t h e g r o u p d e e m e d H u d s o n t o h a v e b e e n d u p l i c i t o u s i n h i s d e a l i n g s w i t h t h e Un i v e r s i t y a n d s u g g e s t e d d i s c i p l i n a r y a c t i o n b e t a k e n a g a i n s t h i m I t w a s s u b s e q u e n t l y a n n o u n c e d o n 2 2 F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 2 , m o n t h s a f t e r t h e i n i t i a l i n c i d e n t a n d t h e o r i g i n a l c o m p l a i n t s b y t h e U K L F I , t h a t H u d s o n w a s t o b e r e m o v e d f r o m h i s p o s t a s D i r e c t o r o f W h i t w o r t h Ga l le r y .

I n l i g h t o f t h e l i m i t e d i n f o r m a t i o n m a d e a v a i l a b le t o i t , t h e M WC d e m a n d s g r e a t e r c l a r i t y a s t o t h e r e a s o n s f o r H u d s o n ’ s r e m o v a l a n d r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e Un i v e r s i t y ’ s d e c i s i o n , g i v e n t h a t h e

t o o k c o n s c i o u s a n d p r o a c t i v e s t e p s t o s e e k le a d e r s h i p ’ s c o n s e n s u s o n d i f f i c u l t d e c i s i o n s, a n d h a s a p p e a r e d t o b a l a n c e c o m p e t i n g i n t e r e s t s t h r o u g h t h e d i s p u t e s s u r r o u n d i n g Cloud Studies

T h r o u g h o u t h i s t i m e a s D i r e c t o r o f t h e W h i t w o r t h , H u d s o n h a s f u l f i l le d t h e v i s i o n e s t a b l i s h e d b y

W h i t w o r t h i t s e l f t o “ w o r k w i t h c o m m u n i t i e s t o u s e a r t f o r p o s i t i v e s o c i a l c h a n g e , a n d a c t i v e l y

a d d r e s s w h a t m a t t e r s m o s t i n p e o p le ’ s l i v e s ” ; e x h i b i t i o n s i n h i s t e n u r e h a v e c e n t e r e d o n s o c i a l p r a c t i c e , r e i n f o r c i n g t h e r o le o f m u s e u m s a s a f o r c e f o r g o o d a n d c h a n g e i n s o c i e t y T o t h e b e s t o f o u r k n o w le d g e , i t t h e r e f o r e s e e m s t h a t H u d s o n h a s e x c e l le d i n h i s r o le a s le a d e r o f t h e

W h i t w o r t h Ga l le r y T h a t h e n o w a p p e a r s t o b e p u n i s h e d f o r t h e d e c i s i o n t o p u t u p a n e x h i b i t i o n

like Cloud Studies in its entirety—a decision undoubtedly also cleared by the Gallery’s senior leadership—raises doubt as to the rightfulness of his removal.

On a broader level, it also speaks to the silencing of dissent by pressure groups with capital and influence. As part of the University of Manchester, the Whitworth was created as a protected space for the expression of academic and artistic freedom, for open and productive discussions to be had about the issues of today, including the continued political oppression of marginalized groups like communities in Palestine. By bowing to such external pressure, the University has compromised the Gallery and by extension spaces like it, setting a dangerous precedent for any attempts to platform marginalized voices and to speak truth to oppressive, violent powers.

The artistic community in the UK is rallying against the University’s decision; artists participating in the touring British Art Show 9 are pulling out of its Manchester stop . The MWC strongly urges the University of Manchester to reconsider its decision to remove Hudson from his post, at least in part also owing to the implications of his removal on artistic freedoms in the UK and beyond. We hope there is an opportunity for talks between the University and Alistair Hudson to be open about the conditions of his dismissal, and that the University will be likewise open to hearing the concerns of the artistic community on this matter.

In representation of the CIMAM Museum Watch Committee integrated by:

Bart de Baere , Director, M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, Belgium.

Calin Dan , Director, MNAC Bucharest—National Museum of Contemporary Art. Bucharest, Romania.

Sarah Glennie , Director, National College of Art and Design. Dublin, Ireland.

Malgorzata Ludwisiak , Chief Curator, Department of Modern Art, National Museum in Gdansk, Poland.

Victoria Noorthoorn , Director, Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Eugene Tan , Director, National Gallery Singapore, and Singapore Art Museum. Singapore.

CIMAM – International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art, is an Affiliated Organization of ICOM.

Response to Media Speculations

– 7 March 2022

Following the recent speculations about the Whitworth and The University of Manchester, we hope the following confirmations are helpful:

Alistair Hudson is the Director of the Whitworth, The University of Manchester’s art gallery.

The University has not suppressed artistic and academic freedoms. Nor has it bowed to external pressures as has been suggested.

Indeed, the University went to great lengths to ensure that the exhibition in question proceeded uncensored and remained opened for the full period that had been planned.

Museums and galleries have traditionally been a space of experimentation and challenge and we believe that the Whitworth is a place where we can debate, discuss, and disagree well.

As a University and gallery, there are various rights and duties which apply across our work, including the protection of academic freedom, freedom of speech and expression and duties under equality laws (including the public sector equality duty).

We work tirelessly to ensure that these rights, and our duties, are considered fully and carefully.

All staff at the gallery and the University are committed to ensuring that the Whitworth’s work and reputation goes from strength to strength.

https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=59222