new insights into how community engagements, creative interventions, collaborations and cross-disciplinary exchanges can be used to solve or tackle a problem or issue.
Put beautifully by Manzini, design ‘has all the potentialities to play a major role in triggering and supporting social change.’ (Manzini, 2015, p. 55). Tackling the assumption that design operates solely in economic terms, throughout my project, I aim to focus on the act of giving, a design concept that is obtained from ethical motivations and portrayed in charity modes (Manzini, 2015). Therefore, I will be considering social design as a way of asking from others who can and will generously pay.
It is important to note here, what I mean by the term ‘pay’. ‘Pay’ could be easily misinterpreted as simply an exchange of money. However, I am referring to more than just money. Included are other exchanges, particularly when it comes to giving. Examples include, time and skill.
Throughout this essay, I aim to provide a proposal of a collaborative project that will bring awareness to the Bosnian genocide that happened in 1995. I will first address the issue of genocide denial, its definition, history and why it is a problem I want to tackle, analysing the arguments of ... Secondly, I aim to explain why and how the act of giving can be an effective response. Following this, I will investigate other projects that have used the art of giving in a textiles context and the influence and inspiration they can have on my work. Finally, I wish to discuss the use of my design skills as a designer and as an embroiderer in effective community engagement that not only raises awareness, but provides solutions.
I: Genocide Denial
According to (Walden, 2002) genocide denial is described as ‘the purposeful misrepresentation through manipulation or misuse of the historical record of an episode of genocidal violence to lessen the perception of its severity, to put causal responsibility for genocide upon its victims or survivors, or to reject altogether that genocide took’. Cohen goes further by describing the different types of denial by saying “Denial can be individual, personal, psychological and private or shared, collective and organized.” (Cohen, 2001, p. 9). One clear example of genocide denial is from Stephen Karganovic (McPherson, 2012) who claimed that fewer than a thousand Muslim prisoners were executed in the Bosnian genocide. Many like him argue the numbers of victims at Srebrenica have been exaggerated. This would be “interpretive denial which the observer disputes the cognitive meaning given to an event and reallocates it to another class of event.” (Cohen, 2001, p. 8)
“Although legal application of the term ‘genocide’ does not ensure intervention a refusal to use the term makes it easier to not intervene” (Cohen, 2001, p. 162), making Bosnia like many other countries: a place in which the international community ignores. “However, Srebrenica was not simply a case of the international community standing by as a far-off atrocity was committed”. (Cohen, 2001, p. 166)The actions of the international community encouraged, aided and emboldened the executioners. This is why I think raising awareness on genocide denial is so important; because it (genocide denial) enables people to commit such crimes against humanity. Crucial to my aims of never letting the horror of ethnic cleansing happen again and stopping hate crimes, is raising awareness. Since 1992-1995, more than 8000 Muslim men and boys were brutally murdered, and 40 000 people were estimated to be missing. Almost all of them were thought to have disappeared as a direct result of persecution, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Many of the victims were killed just because they were Muslim. Today the genocide is the single largest symbol of international community’s failure in the former Yugoslavia Srebrenica, R. (2014,). As an individual, I want to encourage communities and people to come in collaboration to do more to improve the situation in Bosnia. This will contribute to acts of healing, as well as prevent further genocides from taking place.
Today the Iraqi war is the one of the most talked about wars, as a female i want to encourage communities and poeople to come in collaboration and improve life for other females people come in collaboration to do more to improve the situation in iraq . this will contribute to acts of healing, as well as prevent further atrocities from happening.
the war has effected
I first heard about the 21st anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre through an event. Wanting to learn more. I reached out to Remembering Srebrenica, an organisation that is dedicated to remembrance of the Bosnian genocide, whilst also using this remembrance to prevent anything like it from happening again. After applying and providing a pledge, I was invited to attend the delegation in Bosnia, with other passionate delegates. During the delegation, we met and spoke to survivors as well as those who had lost family members to the genocide, one example being a woman who had lost her husband, son and grandson. Having heard these horrific experiences, and made these personal ties of friendship, I was eager to spread awareness of the genocide, and engage in social cohesion projects, to really make fulfill the international community’s pledge of ‘never again’. Not only was this because I was deeply touched by the stories that were shared and the missing bodies I saw, but because –I was keen to change what is seemingly similar types of rhetoric that preceded the genocide in Bosnia. In addition to this, as a young person who has grown up seeing wars (such as the Iraq, Afghanistan, Syrian wars), play out in front of my TV screen, I made a pledge to myself to do all I can to stop such horrific acts of violence against humanity and contribute to commemorate the victims of genocide. As a textile student, the easiest way for me to share ideas and passion is through my work.
How the topic has been previously explored:
One place I found very interesting for my research was ‘Donji Potocari’ the old battery factory and United Nations base. Not only was this a space of cross-disciplinary exchanges, it was a space that had changed from a shelter (UN base) to a historical sight, to finally a gallery. It is a place where communities have historical attachment, and where everyone can engage with the history of the genocide. The old UN base was transformed into a memorial room where photos of both victims and the perpetrators of the genocide, were displayed. Near the base, a film and audio center was also set up, for engagement through a different medium. I found these ideas, and transformation of spaces to be a perfect way of giving back to the community, specifically to raise awareness through engagement with history.
In addition to this, the ‘the Wall of Death’,placed in theSarajevo– (an exhibition for those who lost their lives in Srebrenica), as well as the Memorial Centre in Potočari could be viewed as pieces of artwork (Memorial center Srebrenica – Potočari) (Galerija, 2015)
After visiting the memorial center in Potočari, we visited the the galerija 11/07/95, viewing the sixteen-meter-long wall that contained the names and ages of the 8372-people killed in Srebrenica. The way in which Tarik Samarah, the photographer and artist, collected these names from the memorial center inspired me to do the same. The memorial center had the 8372 names engraved onto concrete to solidify the names of the lives that had past, whereas the wall had the names printed along the wall. Both held the same concept and both were very extremely powerful and impactful. Just the sheer size sent a clear message with regards to how many had lost their lives in this tragic chapter of what appears to be history (but is clearly not).. What I loved the most about both art pieces, was more than merely the fact they could portray the number of lives lost, but the way in which they were portrayed. Both pieces mentioned full names and ages of each victim, giving significance to each life, and ensuring that the way of remembrance was a humanising one, one in which victims were not merely categorised as a group, but were instead individually remembered. As a member of the public, I wanted to read the names and learn more, but as an artist I wanted to use this concept of identity and not just numbers when re-telling or educating others.
II: The art of giving, and inspiration from other projects
Another artist who uses names is Lise Bjorne in her ‘Desconocida unknown ukjent’ project, which is a collaboration that is used to protest the murder of women being killed in ciudad Juarez Mexico. Her work consists of individual, 2 x 8 cm, stitched nametags. This is a perfect example of how I could incorporate embroidery into my project. Unlike the previous artwork examples, this project is a collaboration. What is most attractive about the idea is the consequence of having everyone’s personal touch included when doing the embroidery. When engaging in the desconocida unkown ukjent workshop, I saw individuality in each name tag which made the project more interesting and showed a range of engagement (Linnert, 2008). I am really inspired by multiple unique fonts rather than one uniform text such as the two previous examples. The different fonts show a stronger connection between participant and victim.
Another textile project that I took part in was the blood bag project. I had the chance to work with, and contribute to the diamond Blackfan Anemia, through creating ‘textile bags’. The artist Leigh Bowser came up with this concept after hearing that her niece had the rare blood condition, diamond Blackfan Anemia ,inspiring her to raise awareness of the condition. Her niece relies on blood transfusions every 4-5 weeks and because the artist was unable to transfer blood herself, she wanted to raise awareness for others to participate. When making these bags, Bowser encouraged participants to give blood (by handing out donation cards), and taught us about the condition through a slideshow presentation and giving us leaflets. As a participant, I felt like I benefitted from the encounter which (Sennett, 2012) believes to be very important for cooperation as . I loved how not only were we creating art, but we were also able to learn something new. After having Leigh Bowser come in and educate us on the reason behind the blood bag project, I became interested in the idea of building awareness through collaboration and I particularly enjoyed the fact you can speed up the time because many hands are working together rather than just one artist creating all the bags, this also means each piece had its own unique style.
III: My response
Methods:
After looking at different viewpoints and artwork, I now want to consider different methods I could use in my research into innovations in giving back to the Bosnian community.
(Manzini, 2015)‘“to make things happen, to listen, to feedback and reorient the action” is the most concise and precise way of describing the designer’s role in the co-designing process that we normally refer to when talking about design for social change’. The best way of doing this is through focus groups. Using a focus group consisting of people from the Remembering Srebrenica delegation, I will be able to discuss ideas and a pledge, gain contacts and ask how I could reach a wider audience. Also, incorporating the people who we met in Bosnia, like survivors and families of victims is crucial to make sure that their voices are heard first and foremost, and that they approve of my research methods and outcome. This is key because I would want to discuss with the Bosnian community how they would like their history to be commemorated and make sure I have their vision in mind at all time as well as learning more about personal stories that could steer my project towards a greater outcome. Focus groups can be helpful in identifying flaws in my idea. “because social change is rarely linear and rational, the theory of change itself constantly changing – but acceptance of that is part of the overall theory”. (Helmut K. Anheier, 2006) I must consider making various changes, as it is crucial that to take advice from all involved as this is a collaborative, but also, very personal project.
Divergent thinking is also important. I want to use divergent thinking to help me with ideas I would have otherwise dismissed. Using this method will allow me to freely express my thoughts and generate multiple ideas for my concept. I will not have to limit myself with the practicality, and will at the same time encourage others to do the same. When working on a community engagement project, and as a collaboration, it is key to keep as many channels open for various types of creativity to flow, and to ensure the inclusion of everybody’s ideas in the creation of the project.
I also want to take a ‘hands on’ researching approach, for example, exploring the work of and working with the International Commission of Missing People (ICMP), learning how their scientific research and DNA matching help solidify the number of victims and how I can use that information within my project, to bring about justice. Exploring this type of work will also allow me to build a stronger connection to the cause, whilst increasing my passion for it; making the project more meaningful, which I think is very important for a designer maker.
As a designer maker working within a textile context, I want my concept to be a sign of solidarity and a wakeup call for the international community to remember Srebrenica and learn the lessons from it. Furthermore, I want to educate others through my art, allowing them to learn from both the Bosnian genocide, and the skills from my textile practice. As my project, will be a collaborative one, it will be less time consuming, but more fruitful in that it will engage a larger audience, and the impact of the finished project will be reach an even larger audience, hopefully an international one.
Proposal:
My proposal would be a project name Srebrenica Stitch, which will be a UK based textiles embroidery project, utilizing a mass collaboration to create a patch work of names to protest those who deny the Bosnian genocide. This project is to keep the memory of the 8372 mainly Muslim men and boys murdered in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide and to continue to counter hatred and intolerance in our own communities.
I heard about the events in Bosnia for the first time in 2016 when reading a book ‘Honoring a lost generation’(Srebenicia, 2015). The stories made me want to discover more and when I had the opportunity to apply to go to Bosnia, I did. The Remembering Srebrenica organisation accepted my application and invited me to join them to learn about the atrocities and spread awareness of what I would learn to others.
I wanted to find a way to spread awareness about the ethnic cleansing that happened in Bosnia, honor those who unjustly had their lives taken and simultaneously provide a medium for connection and remembrance.
Each participant of the Srebrenica Stitch project will embroider a name of a victim. We all have a relationship with names – our name is the first thing we learn. To stitch the murdered men and boys’ names on a 10x10cm fabric is a physical act, time consuming, repetitious; an intimate experience. It is an act of care, in remembrance and of protest. (Linnert, 2008). The participant will bring back an identity to each name.
I wanted to incorporate my specialism of embroidery and use it for an innovation of giving. I wanted to initiate a collaborative piece of work 'Srebrenica Stich', that will be an embroidery textiles project, involving 8372 participants based on the 8,373 victims (the number of victims in the Bosnian genocide). Each participant will hand embroider a square corresponding to each victim. This patchwork would be made by individual 10 x 10cm fabric squares, each carrying the embroidered name of a victim. Once each square is completed and collected, they will be collated and made into a one, large, patchwork, roughly sized 9.15m2. The aim of having 8372 different participants to do these embroidery patches, is because I wanted to include a lot of participants because the energy of new blood or different people is significant. (Ashford, 2006, p. 65).
Gathering participants can be done in forms of workshops given at universities, schools, community centres. In these spaces, - I will present the concept and lessons of Srebrenica that I have learnt to participants while they do the embroidery so they get a better understanding of the subject and the reasons behind the project. I will run workshops up and down the country mainly focusing on universities as I would want to educate people my age. As a textiles student and i found them to be very rewarding, especially when hearing the concepts behind them, and the greater good that can be achieved through the outcomes of these projects. I chose embroidery because it’s my specialism and because it is a simple skill many can learn. It will be a skill in which to pay tribute to those whose story is silenced, whilst also creating a relationship between the participant and the victim.
I hope to display the finished patchwork in Bosnia, as well as in exhibitions and galleries around the world. I hope it will act as a constant reminder of the lives unjustly gone and continue to educate people.
I want this piece to be a form and symbol of activism, an against the leaders who deny the genocide, as well as one of solidarity with family of victims. The sheer size will trigger discussion. I also want to attract political figures, in the hope that such a symbolic project can be used to remember the victims in Bosnia and to enact the ‘never again’ pledge. I will also promote my idea by interacting with the local council and the women’s institution to raise awareness, and stimulate discussion and dialogue about the various important aspects incorporated within the project. This will be a great way in bringing locals together, as well as symbolising solidarity with the Bosnian community through this small act of giving (from the international community); the least we can do. My aim will be to use my skills and spread these skills as well as awareness. I hope to finish this in my placement year and have the art work completed by March 2017. I hope this will be somewhat beneficial to survivors and families of victims by acknowledging their suffering. I hope it will also give some peace to the those we met in Bosnia, who like one mother, told me all they wanted was for the world to recognize what happened to their families and sons.
To summarise, through my research, I have learnt about the importance of spreading awareness on atrocities like the Bosnian genocide, as well as exploring how designers can achieve this through examples of cross disciplinary, community and collaborative projects. It has inspired me to think of how I could teach others about history in attempt to stop such atrocities happen. Also, learnt that through collaboration all who are involved give back as well as gaining knowledge and improving their skill. I am very excited to act out my proposal and see the outcomes that will hopefully be a positive contribution to society.
Ayaat Hussain.
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