Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Tomorrow the National Mall will be visited by a curious casualty of war: an exploded car. It will be attached to an RV parked on Jefferson Drive SW between 12th and 14th streets, and will be on view from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. It's part of British artist Jeremy Deller's project, It Is What It Is, originally commissioned by the New Museum, and made possible here in D.C. by Street Scenes and Provisions Library.

The car was destroyed by a blast in 2007 on a street in Baghdad. The street is named after a famous Iraqi poet, and was once the center of Baghdad's intellectual life, graced with cafes and book markets. The attack killed more than thirty people.

The RV also offers the chance to enter into a face-to-face conversation on U.S. involvement in Iraq. From the event flier: "On hand for discussion are Jonathan Harvey, a psychological operations officer, and Esam Pasha, an Iraqi artist now residing in Connecticut. We encourage you to come to to engage in conversations about the war, the country, the culture, the geography, or simply listen. Please feel free to bring items pertaining to Iraq as they might be an interesting place to begin."

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