chashama presents an exhibition by Miranda Maher, 1000 Coordinates of Violence.

Threatening information is often literally kept at a distance: we focus on how many years, decades or centuries have passes since the event; or how many miles, countries or continents there are between us and the site.

Clinging to these literal distances helps us dissociate from wars, massacres, executions and murders that frighten us.  If this is not enough, we compare them to other “bigger” events – with more casualties, longer durations or more grisly details to diminish the impact.  The deflections help us live with less day-to-day fear; but they also impede examination of our relationship to the profound and unremitting violence of human history.

1000 Coordinates of Violence addresses our human inclination to war, rather than a particular political agenda.  Hopefully it creates a space for personal questioning of these and other “truths” we hold about our species and our history.