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Iraq: Reframe project offers different perspective

By Cyrus Hedayati

Forget troop withdrawal deadlines, forget weapons of mass destruction and forget Saddam Hussein. As its title suggests, the Iraq: Reframe project explores the war in Iraq from a different angle--one that looks beyond politics.

Beginning this month and stretching into April of next year, the project will examine the conflict in the context of art, culture and philosophy. Its organizers hope this approach will renew debate about the war in Iraq and the effects of conflict in general.

"A large part of the program is engaging people in a dialogue and conversation," said project curator Rijin Sahakian.

Hosted in part by Montalvo Arts Center, the project will also have exhibits at Stanford University and the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. The project at Montalvo will include everything from a model Iraqi home to a one-woman-play about life in Iraq to a musical collaboration with members of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra.

"Arts and culture is an amazingly powerful way of looking at the world we live in," said Sahakian. "And by doing that, we can have a larger perspective on something that we see as somewhat polarizing at times."

Sahakian hopes to bridge that gap in Iraqi and American culture with the Moments in 20th Century Iraqi Art display, which aims to recover and document Iraqi art that has been destroyed or looted. Running from November until February, it will be divided into two parts, each dedicated to one of the principal movements of the last century in Iraqi painting.

"Part of the focus [of the Iraq: Reframe project] is also on the artistic practice and cultural production that's taken place in Iraq" and how that is affected by conflict, said Sahakian.

The project will also show the culture of Iraq with a model of a traditional, rural Iraqi home, constructed with sun-baked mud bricks. Its creator, artist Wafaa Bilal, observed such homes while living in Saudi Arabia, though they are no longer popular in Iraq.

"It's bringing two seemingly different environments together," said Sahakian of the display, scheduled for completion in October. "It's really just to spark dialogue about how people live and bring in the concept of homes and space."

Attendees can also get a slice of Iraqi life at the March 29 performance of 9 Parts of Desire, a one-woman play and monologue by Heather Raffo. Raffo plays various Iraqi female characters that share their stories, including a doctor, a political activist, a painter and an exile.

"While [the projects] bring up the perspective of women, they speak to so many things that are happening that you get more than just a woman's perspective of Iraq," said Sahakian.

In addition, several journalists, writers and foreign policy experts will lead discussions on a variety of topics through out the project. The discussion leaders will include former undersecretary of the United Nations Shashi Tharoor as well as soldier and author Brian Turner, who wrote about his service in Iraq.

"There are large things happening in Iraq. There's one of the largest crises in refugees in our modern times there. There's also a large loss of life," said Sahakian. "We're trying to explore what those losses mean in that context."

Sahakian also sees the projects as a great educational opportunity for local schools. She would like to involve them in the project as much as possible to stimulate dialogue about Iraq among young people.

"With students it's sometimes difficult for them to understand what's happening, but speaking to an artist or seeing a film can give them a perspective on something that can seem so distant," said Sahakian.

Students often learn about other societies through their culture and art, she said. The community's response to the Iraq: Reframe project has shown her the need in America for such knowledge about the Middle Eastern country.

"The purpose of doing [this project] now is that's it's actually happening," said Sahakian. "And how can we learn about what's happening if we don't understand the people who are there?"