#Forensic Architecture is not made of forensic scientist but of artists

[a-very-tired-jew]

I was just reminded that the art collective Forensic Architecture exists and once again I’m disgusted.

For those of you who don’t know, it’s a collective of various artists who play at forensic science, conduct “forensic investigations”, and then make art exhibits of their “results”. Their reports and exhibits will make statements such as “the evidence shows that X is linked to Y” but the statistical output that they share will show something like a 5% confidence in the match.

That's right. They make art exhibits of their "investigations".

You want to talk about fandomizing tragedy? Making “forensic investigations” into art exhibits is the bougiest version I can think of, and it's only to serve an echelon of people who enjoy that kind of stuff. If any of the people in this art collective had a background in forensic science they would have taken ethics courses that would tell them how horrid putting on an art exhibit like this actually is. You don't honor the victims by putting on an art show for the rich and powerful to gasp and faint over so that you can fundraise for your next show.

Their founder has even stated that they’re not in forensics but “counter-forensics” and "counter-investigation". They eschew the practices and norms of the scientific community for telling their own version of investigative “truth”. They’ve even gone so far as to quote post-truth philosophies in their work and the controversial Nietzsche quote about there being no facts, only interpretations. Both are dangerous philosophies to hold in forensic science as it presents the evidence as subjective rather than objective. This is why they're an art collective and not a forensic science research group as they purport, they're rejecting objective scientific outcome for subjective interpretation.

You can go to the group's website and they have profiles on all of their team members. Almost every person is labeled as a "researcher", but once you click on their profile it quickly tells you that they're an artist, designer, activist, or some combination of the three. No mention of any scientific background whatsoever. That indicates their ability to actual conduct forensic science research is not great as they don't have any training or education on the methods involved. In fact, their entire program and personnel are out of an arts college with no science programs or faculty outside of anthropology.

That's weird, right?

A group that supposedly made a new discipline of forensic science, according to them, has no members with actual backgrounds in forensic science or scientific disciplines relating to it?

None of the team member profiles detail any scientific background that would be relevant to forensics outside of a few people with engineering and computer science degrees. Neither of the aforementioned disciplines typically train you in forensic practices anyway unless you take certain courses. Because these profiles are public you can go and checked LinkedIn profiles and find the CVs for each member as well. Guess what? No forensic science or relevant scientific backgrounds listed there as well.

But for some reason this art collective has received funding from governments and NGOs for "creating" a new discipline of forensic science. They're a "trusted" source for forensic investigations. That's worrying. That's terrifying.

I'm a forensic scientist and to make an objective field based upon methodology and empirically supported practice into one that is subjective and throws out the empirical aspects is terrifying. Everyone should have klaxons going off in their head whenever they see Forensic Architecture's name appear in a publication. I've reviewed a few of their "investigations" and they are rife with bad practice, manipulation, and misinformation. In fact, it appears that they present their work in art exhibits more than they testify to it in court due to their methods being questionable and their intent being not to help the investigation but to be a "counter-investigation" that can be judged by the court of public opinion. What do I mean by this? In many of their investigations the collective does not actively have personnel at the scene. Meaning they are not getting first hand physical evidence and measurements. Now, it's not always possible to be there personally and as such you rely upon crime scene techs, investigators, and other personnel to collect this stuff. Typically if you're a consultant or outside firm you are getting the evidence after it has been collected for analysis. You want the physical evidence in your hands as much as possible so that you can analyze it properly. Sometimes you have to request going to the scene yourself to get the measurements and evidence you need. The worst type of evidence to receive is honestly digital images of the scene as you are now having to analyze something a general investigator, who likely does not have specialized training, took a picture of.

In situations where you cannot have the physical evidence for analysis and you are left with only photographs then a forensic expert should be tempering their responses and conclusions. You cannot confidently come to conclusions based simply on looking at photos. This is something that is hammered home repeatedly in forensic programs and professionals.

In the case of warzone crime scene analysis, as FA typically does, they are, typically, not collecting evidence first hand from the scene, nor are they receiving evidence secondarily from actual trained investigators (when they are there first hand they also rely excessively upon expensive technology instead of best practices). They rely upon third party photos and satellite imagery to do their analysis.

Time and time again, forensic experts who rely solely upon digital photos and media to make their analysis get ripped apart by a good lawyer. Being confident in conclusions based upon photographs is the easiest way to lose your credibility. But again, the art collective playing forensic scientist primarily puts their work in art exhibits where they are not scrutinized by experts. Hell, I don't think I've ever seen them present at one of our professional conferences nationally or internationally (I would love to be a fly on the wall when that happens).

And finally, if this was an actual credible scientific group that produced credible investigations and had created a brand new field with methodology that stood to scrutiny there would be publications in the forensic journals detailing this. Especially from the "creator" of the field Eyal Weizman.

Guess what there isn't?

But in the end all they’re actually doing is crime scene reconstruction from people who want to cosplay as forensic scientists.

(for more reading on the group see this article that highlights issues with FA from another perspective https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/forensic-architecture-fake-news-1234661013/)

[nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany]

Links 7/23/19

Digital Elixir Links 7/23/19

How fat prawns can save lives PhysOrg

Forensic Architecture Says It Has Found Bullet Linking Whitney Vice Chair to Violence in Gaza, Withdraws from Biennial HyperAllergic. Resilc: “First Sackler and opiates, now ammo and art blowback.”

Milky Way cannibalised entire galaxy 10 billion years ago, scientists say Independent (Kevin W)

China must avoid a role in destruction of Amazon Asia Times. A little late for that.

The Overprotected American Child Wall Street Journal

Color-changing tattoo shows blood glucose level Boing Boing (resilc). Why does this remind me of the tattoo in The Stars My Destination that The Scientific People applied to Gully Foyle’s face when they rescued him? Foyle couldn’t fully remove the tattoo, and when his face got flushed with anger, the tattoo would be visible. In the book, it was a device that made it hard for him to hide his past.

China?

Aussie swimmer Mack Horton’s protest against Chinese rival and accused drug cheat Sun Yang could get super awkward for Gina Rinehart Business Insider. Kevin W: “I saw this guy’s antics during the whole presentation ceremony. Acted like a self-righteous dickhead.”

Huawei Secretly Helped Build North Korea’s Wireless Network, Leaked Documents Suggest CNET. Why is this a surprise?

Pre-Revolutionary Chinese Debt: An Investment for the Truly Stable Genius Credit Slips. A bit of TDS in the headline, since the fraudster who peddled the bonds “leads one of the largest congregations in the country, with roughly 14,000 members, and was a spiritual adviser to George W. Bush and Barack Obama.” But he’s trying to get Trump to take up the case.

India denies it requested Trump’s help in Kashmir Financial Times

Brexit

Live: Boris Johnson to be UK’s next prime minister BBC. Assume the brace position.

Boris Johnson warned by Tory rebels: ditch no deal or face fight for survival Guardian

Sir Alan Duncan quits as Foreign Office minister but his plot to allow MPs to reject Johnson as new PM unravels Telegraph. The idea that the Queen would meddle was silly.

New Cold War

South Korea fires warning shots at Russian military aircraft BBC

Ukraine Election – Voters Defeat Second Color Revolution Moon of Alabama (Kevin W)

Syraqistan

Iran’s spy claims raise tensions another notch with Trump The Hill

Guurst: “How to shoot yourself in the foot”:

. @Jeremy_Hunt Iran tanker statement live now in @UKParliament

— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) July 22, 2019

UK to launch European security mission over Iran row DW. Any takers?

Morgan Stanley: Why Tanker Wars Aren’t Causing An Oil Price Spike OilPrice

Venezuela blackout: Power cuts plunge country into darkness BBC

Trump Transition

U.S. to expand rapid deportation nationwide with sweeping new rule Reuters. Resilc: “So when do their labor “vacancies” start to bite?”

Trump backs two-year budget deal The Hill

DOJ tells Mueller to limit testimony to his report Politico

Army Mission: Army Lets Slip That It’s Conducting Secret Operation Around D.C. Bloomberg. Resilc: “Trump needs funding to jail Congress.”

US mistrust on the rise, with government seen as worst: poll Agence France-Presse (resilc)

Why ‘National Conservative’ Josh Hawley Wants to Enrich Foreign Banks New York Magazine

Al Franken’s Defenestration Is a Portrait of the Democratic Party Charles Pierce, Esquire and The Case of Al Franken New Yorker (resilc)

Toronto’s astonishing growth: Will it matter to Buffalo? Buffalo News (resilc)

Carroll Street in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/5E4ytiEBmy

— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) July 23, 2019

2020

Trump 2020 campaign shop selling plastic straws because ‘liberal paper straws don’t work’ indy100 (resilc)

The Coming Economic Crash — And How to Stop It Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren Wants Green Bombs, not a Green New Deal Black Agenda Report. Resilc flags this section:

Elizabeth Warren believes that strengthening the “effectiveness” of the U.S. military is consistent with the Green New Deal. Her bill doesn’t demand that the U.S. military be reduced in size or scale.Nor does it mention that the U.S. military is the world’s largest polluter and user of oil and fossil fuels. Instead of turning the Green New Deal into concrete policy, Warren has placed her attention on renovating the one thousand U.S. military bases that exist domestically and abroad. The so-called “policy wonk” of the 2020 elections appears to be more concerned with creating “green” bombs than a “green economy.”

There’s No Such Thing as a “Progressive Prosecutor” in a System Designed to Criminalize Blackness Black Agenda Report

White police officers are not more likely to shoot minorities PhysOrg (Robert M). This study is crap. It’s based on police reports, which video evidence routinely shows to be false, particularly regarding “suspect attacked police, suspect was carrying a weapon” claims to justify violence by police.

Puerto Rico

Corruption, Mismanagement, and Disrespect Fuel Puerto Rico Protests Real News

Wow. Puerto Rico. You don’t get this perspective from the ground. They are Loud. Determined. United. pic.twitter.com/3JMmbc8NY2

— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) July 22, 2019

Why Half a Million Puerto Ricans Are Protesting in the Streets Nation. You heard it here first from resilc:

Trump wins 2020 GOP cuts budgets on everything but dod 2022 Demos win Congress 2023 austerity riots in USA USA Late 2023 impeached and gone 2024 Ivanka runs to avenge father’s “overthrow”

Seven Days Vermont (resilc)

737 Max

Fitch cuts Boeing’s debt outlook to ‘negative’ on 737 MAX problems Reuters

U.S. Shale Is Doomed No Matter What They Do OilPrice

A Clue to the Reason for Women’s Pervasive Car-Safety Problem CityLab

Who’s ready for decades of low or negative U.S. interest rates? MarketWatch. Great, no safe investments worth having, more insane valuations….

An Unprecedented Drop in Overdose Deaths Is Sadly Not Reason to Celebrate Vice

Class Warfare

‘Our paychecks bounced’: US workers in limbo as coalmines suddenly close Guardian (resilc)

Elite Anxiety: Paul Collier’s “Future of Capitalism” Notes on Liberty

The Risky Business of Bringing You Lunch

Delivery apps like DoorDash are using your tips to pay workers’ wages The Verge (Chuck L)

Antidote du jour (furzy):

And a bonus:

Watching bees is my favourite thing

saw this one on the lavender pic.twitter.com/2LwDmGloG7

— ARTIST TAXI DRIVER (@chunkymark) July 23, 2019

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

Links 7/23/19

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2Z8pVZJ via IFTTT

[nicoleignn]

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

ABY WARBURG

Abraham Moritz Warburg, known as Aby Warburg (June 13, 1866 – October 26, 1929), was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded a private Library for Cultural Studies, the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg, which was later moved to the Warburg Institute, London. At the heart of his research was the legacy of the Classical World, and the transmission of classical representation, in the most varied areas of western culture through to the Renaissance.

Warburg most well-known project was ‘Mnemosyne Atlas’, which has long remained a legend, even after its publication in 1993. From 1924-1929, Warburg concentrated his entire knowledge in this collection of images, which ultimately spanned 63 panels and encompassed almost a thousand individual pieces. He mostly used photographs and included illustrations from books, picture files, original graphics and newspaper clippings. The Warburg Institute’ is one of the world’s leading centres for studying the interaction of ideas, images and society. It is dedicated to the survival and transmission of culture across time and space, with a special emphasis on the afterlife of antiquity. It was founded at the end of the 19th Century. 

Warburg became very active in Hamburg’s cultural life and expanded his collection of books. In a lecture on Dürer and antiquity, he coined the term “Pathosformel” [pathos formula]; soon he was speaking of “Bilderfahrzeuge” [image vehicles] as well, those portable carriers, such as carpets, prints, and oil paintings, that made images mobile and dominated international communication along the “Wanderstrassen der Kultur” [pathways of culture], another of his coinages. He discovered the writings of Franz Boll, which opened up the field of astrology to him and drew his attention to the long distances by which the knowledge of antiquity had passed through the Arab world before returning to the European cultural sphere. Building on this foundation, Warburg was able, in 1912, to solve the riddle of the frescoes at the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, Italy. No one before him had realized that they must have been painted according to a detailed plan including descriptions of all the characters: the gods and heroes of Greek mythology, retranslated from Arabic sources. 

AUTHORSHIP

What makes the art of an artist really his/hers? Nowadays it seems like everything has already been invented. There are no original, new inventions because even the smallest part of the product is made out of something already existing. Every new song has a riff that was years ago already recorded; every upcoming movie has at least one scene that, in the best case, resembles some classic one; and every art piece is a variation of a work by a known or unknown artist somewhere in the world. Knowing all this, how can we claim authorship over anything? Still, thinking this way is quite radical. It would mean that no one actually owns anything and the whole perspective on history would be changed. However, this certainly raises some interesting questions. In the art world, some of the today’s most famous and renewed artists have based their artwork on remaking existing art and went through numerous lawsuits with the authors of the pieces. If we accepted the previous premise, it would mean that every single person in the world is a plagiarist of sorts. Even though we all know that it’s not that simple, it brings us to another, similar problem – when does art turn into forgery?

BRUTALISM 

It is a French term that translates as ‘raw art’. This word was invented by artist, Jean Dubuffet to describe art such as graffiti or naive art which is made outside the academic tradition of fine art. This can therefore be seen as lowbrow. Brutalism within web design is intended to make an impression on a user by breaking rules on functionality and aesthetics. It is now a trend that is becoming more popular which is majority aimed towards the younger audience . Some of the biggest companies in the world are on board with these trends and are making it a success. Brutalist Websites- In its ruggedness and lack of concern to look comfortable or easy, Brutalism can be seen as a reaction by a younger generation to the lightness, optimism, and frivolity of today's web design. Brutalist architecture flourished from 1951 to 1975, having descended from the modernist architectural movement of the early 20th century.[1] Considered both an ethic and aesthetic, utilitarian designs are dictated by function over form with raw construction materials and mundane functions left exposed. Reinforced concrete is the most commonly recognized building material of Brutalist architecture but other materials such as brick, glass, steel, and rough-hewn stone may also be used.

FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE 

Forensic Architecture is a multidisciplinary research group based at the University of London that uses architectural techniques and technologies to investigate cases of state violence and violations of human rights around the world. The group is led by architect Eyal Weizman.

The agency develops new evidentiary techniques and undertakes advanced architectural and media research with and on behalf of communities affected by state violence, and routinely works in partnership with international prosecutors, human rights organisations and political and environmental justice groups.

The agency is an interdisciplinary team of investigators including architects, scholars, artists, filmmakers, software developers, investigative journalists, archaeologists, lawyers, and scientists. It undertakes investigations in human rights violations by states or corporations, on behalf of civil society groups.

The group uses advanced architectural and media techniques to investigate armed conflicts and environmental destruction, as well as to cross-reference a variety of evidence sources, such as new media, remote sensing, material analysis, and witness testimony.

Forensic architecture is also an academic field and an emergent field of practice developed at the Centre for Research Architecture, at Goldsmiths, University of London. It refers to the production and presentation of architectural evidence, relating to buildings and urban environments and their media representations.

NOAM TORAN 

Noam Toran’s work involves the creation of intricate narratives developed as a means to disrupt hegemonic historiographies. Drawing from marginalized or neglected histories, Toran reflects upon the interrelations of memory, erasure, mythology, identity, and the essential force of storytelling as embodied in archives, film, literature, and performance. The work is materialized through dramatizations that take the form of installations, educational models, films, performances and scripts. 

ONKAR KULAR

Onkar Kular’s work investigates how contemporary design practice, its processes, methodologies and outputs, can be used as a medium to engage with and question the understanding of cultural and popular issues.  

TORAN AND KULAR COLLAB

Their first projects together were meticulous exercises in film taxonomy, such as the dark catalogues of explosion and demolition clips in Violence and Destruction. Through this work, the pair became interest in the cinematic object – the prop as protagonist.