For further information please download the respective Forum Expanded sheet (PDF).
One of the products exported by German arms manufacturers is the Leopard 2A7+, a main battle tank specially designed and optimized for pacifying uprisings, protests, and unrest in urban areas. Until now it existed only as a prototype, but the first sixty-two Leopard 2A7+ tanks were scheduled to be delivered to Qatar in late 2015. The country has ordered a total of 200.
pssst Leopard 2A7+ is a demilitarized, farcical copy of the Leopard 2A7+ realized in Lego baseplates, a prototype in its own right. It possesses the same base area measurements as the tank, and the position of the turret is adhered to as well. It is executed with the meticulousness of a modeler, adhering closely to measurement and scale.
An ongoing phonetic study of the open secrets around this battle tank that carries the name of an animal predator is accessible through 60 sound devices built into the model. A set of new sound documents are presented for the Forum Expanded exhibition, some of them made in collaboration with friends, others as independent contributions by friends. The contributors include Joe Namy, Omar Mismar, Jessika Leobauldine Khazrik, errorsmith, and others.
Natascha Sadr Haghighian’s research-based practice encompasses a variety of forms and formats, among them video, performance, installations, text, and sound, and is primarily concerned with the socio-political implications of contemporary modes of world-making. Her project pssst Leopard 2A7+ is part of an ongoing research into the militarization of urban environments.
Rather than offering highlights from a CV, Haghighian asks readers to go to www.bioswop.net, a CV-exchange platform where artists and other cultural practitioners can borrow and lend CVs for various purposes.
Production: Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Berlin
Format: Sound installation
Language: German, English, Arabic, Farsi, Greek
Photo: © Natascha Sadr Haghighians
