Some exhibition catalogues last half an eternity. They reveal backgrounds, deepen facts and discourses, and last but they have an advantage because of their book format: they are permanent. Even if the exhibition has long since moved on to another location or is stored in an archive, the books will always be there. Sometimes even for readers who were not in the exhibition and for those who want to know more.The reader 'Visual Investigations' on the exhibition of the same name at the Architekturmuseum der Technischen Universität München in the Pinakothek der Moderne is one of these special exhibition publications. Edited by Lisa Luksch, curator of the exhibition, and Andres Lepik, director of the Architekturmuseum, it is a small softcover book with interviews and essays on all the case studies in the exhibition. This highly recommended reader, published by ArchiTangle, also includes QR codes to access videos and lectures from the accompanying programme. The visual level is essential to the theme!
Research and education
What can architecture do to identify human rights violations and document them in a way that can be used in court? Sites and their precise reconstruction play a key role in clarification. The availability of visual sources in public discourse makes it possible to reconstruct the course of events and human rights violations. Smartphones, satellites, surveillance and police cameras record violence and human rights violations.
Ten eyewitnesses of the Russian airstrike on Mariupol’s Drama Theater on March 16, 2022 were invited to participate in interview sessions using the “situated testimony” technique developed by the CST’s partnering organization, Forensic Architecture. This technique involves using 3D models of scenes and environments in which traumatic events occurred to aid in the process of interviewing and collecting testimony from witnesses., © The Center for Spatial Technologies (CST), 2022
Background to the seven case studies
The texts in the book are based on seven case studies from five continents, which were also displayed in the exhibition. They provide the background and methods without which the visual material would not be comprehensible. Interviews with Sam Dubberley of Human Rights Watch and Laura Kurgan of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation discuss the methods and social significance of technically demanding research. Essays shed light on individual cases such as the Russian air strike on the Mariupol theatre or the murder of Colombian journalist Alberardo Liz. It's good to have books and additional digital media like this for complex exhibitions!
Text: Sandra Hofmeister
Visual Investigations, Between Advocacy, Journalism and Law, ed. by Lisa Luksch, Andres Lepik, contributions by: Bellingcat, Ralf Breker, The Center for Spatial Technologies (CST), Sam Dubberley, Bora Erden, Sam Gregory, Alison Killing, Laura Kurgan, Andres Lepik, Lisa Luksch, Anjli Parrin, SITU Research, Patrick Brian Smith, and Lea Weinmann, softcover 13 x 21 cm, ca. 40 illustrations, 160 pages, Design: Parat.cc, ArchiTangle Publishers, Berlin October 2024, ISBN 9783966800327
