INTERFACE

Raw evidence, real materials and the bruises left on buildings. But somehow it is still hidden. Behind governing figures, behind distractions, behind misleading news and behind what they want you to see.

If not hidden could the evidence not advocate for itself? It could.

Forensic Architecture combines physical evidence, media and human memory together and discloses what may have otherwise remained concealed. Challenging states, police, corporations, military, war criminals and those undertaking hate crimes by dissecting the narratives they present in order to uncover the truth - or as close to it as possible - to give back to the people fighting for their rights. The physical entity of the built environment is made real and present in the lives of the people it is influencing, by acting as a material recording device which later has the ability to advocate for their rights and present the realities in which it fosters or rejects.

When disrupted by crime, realities are manipulated and the relationship between legal policies and physical objects is blurred by destruction. The justice system on many occasions has failed to recognise injustices due to their lack of spatial understanding. This has destroyed lives of civilians but protected people of power.

The results, minimal or large, derived from the process of uncovering injustices presents architecture as a material recording device that can be legally liable in cases against the violation of human rights. The tools and methods are used to gather data for Parliamentary and judicial processes, having the ability to stand up in court and influence policies. The collection of evidence becomes a physical aggregation of the human experience, but in this case, the not so pleasant aspect.

Events Exhibitions

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The exhibitions are held both in the countries in which incidents happened and ones outside. The same exhibitions are held multiple times. Many are held in counties in which these violences did not occur, in order to raise awareness of such actions, or maybe to show the implications of first world powerful countries

Exhibitions, Museums, Art galleries, Books, Publications, Workshops, conferences, seminars, online releases, Videos and their Website. Some of the many ways their information is presented.

The technology of today has redefined advocacy as we know it. It has brought about opportunities never before available. Within the click of a button images are shared, videos are reposted, realities become transparent, and the outreach is doubled within seconds. The otherside of the world is now informed of an unfiltered truth, one not controlled by media outlets and governing figures. But can the contents within 16:9 pixels share the whole story? Here it is not art. The internet becomes a gallery, one of many twisted realities and thus the importance of exhibitions is heightened, especially for Forensic Architecture. Through the use of architectural tools, they piece together and correlate as much of the truth as they have had the ability to uncover. Now the viewer is standing in a room, surrounded by the truth, one that can't be turned off by clicking the button on the right side of an iphone. Is it art?. But one that can be taken away with them if they do open their phone and go to the website. Here it is not art.

Art is a medium for advocacy, and although Forensic Architecture's use of exhibitions where images are on display on walls as if it were art, the objective is not to romanticise any of the findings. It is to analyse and present information.

Similarly, A 1:1 replica of a crime scene exhibited in a gallery. Is this art or is this reality? This is presenting a reality that is otherwise not accessible to the public in a first world, war free country.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT IS TAKEN OFF THE WALL?

The messages are advocated through the presentation and collection of horrors, otherwise known as stories. They are the lives of some, but an image on the wall to others. What happens when they are taken off the wall? Are there horrors of any less importance?

Their findings are published online and made public in order to fill in the gaps of public knowledge and expose the inhuman actions being undertaken around the world. The traces left on buildings through time helps in bridging the gaps between witness evidence, material evidence and spatial evidence. The forensic architecture website is a collection of these horrors, easily accessible to the public. Their exhibitions are constantly repeated in different countries to increase the amount of exposure and their cases work to help advocate until the injustices are exposed or justice is achieved for the victims or their families.

Funded through grants and universities and trust, there is no paying client. The client is sometimes no longer present. Other times the client is the victim, their families or the impacted communities. But ultimately the client is the public. Forensic architecture uses their power as an act of service to the world, to reveal the truth behind harsh realities, governing bodies and powerful figures. Their audience is global and limitless, and thus has the ability to prompt change. We must correct what has passed in order to shift how we move forward.

To question whether this is art or not is thus not necessary. The goal is to push a message, through this medium or another. One that is raw and real.