“A special relationship” is an immersive investigation of Israel’s privileged relationship with America when it comes to aiding and abetting war crimes, specifically in regards to youth prisoners. An overwhelming component of the installation is the wallpaper, which serves as a mirror for the western eye. Riffing on Siad’s notions of orientalism, at first glance the pattern appears to be an Islamic design but at a deeper look one can place U.S. supplied tools for murder and destruction. The context of the installation within the frames documents the trajectory of America in Israeli war crimes. Across two corners of the room are audio testimonies from Bassem Al-Tamimi about his 17 year old Ahed Al-Tamimi’s imprisonment and arrest and a an interview I conducted with my father, Basim Sabri, about his imprisonment as a youth in Palestine.
2018