Yemen: Say hello to connect is an interactive, travelling digital artwork created in collaboration with Imperial War Museum North. The artwork complements the Yemen: Inside a Crisis exhibition, taking the conversation beyond the museum’s walls and onto the streets of Manchester.
Interactive digital artwork by Vicky Clarke and Chris Ball.
Words/poetry by Amerah Saleh.
June-Oct 2019, Manchester
Described by the UN as the ‘world’s worst’ humanitarian crisis – what is the true human cost of the ongoing conflict in Yemen and how can we understand it in the context of our own lives?
Yemen: Say hello to connect is a travelling digital artwork made in collaboration with Imperial War Museum North as part of their Yemen: Inside a Crisis exhibition. Created with Artist Vicky Clarke and Creative Technologist Chris Ball, Yemen: Say hello to connect takes the conversation beyond the museum’s walls, inviting you to connect with the issues people are facing in Yemen right now.
Inspired by Internet cafe culture, Yemen: Say hello to connect is a portal to Yemeni stories – a physical pop up that interrupts everyday life in the city and invites passersby to make a direct connection with Yemen. Just like in an internet cafe, visitors connect with a computer, put on their headphones and interact in a conversation — only this time the conversations include poetic stories written and performed by Yemeni poet Amerah Saleh, laid over bold digital collages that evolve in response to your voice and interactions.
Over the Summer, the pop up will appear in four different locations, each time with a different theme that explores the choices Yemeni people have to make as resources become more limited and everyday life becomes more strained. With themes of economy and infrastructure, food and water insecurity, and children and education, Yemen: Say hello to connect asks us to consider the complexity and interconnectedness of the issues Yemeni people are facing. To bring the reality of the situation home, the artwork poses difficult questions for us to consider in the context of our own lives:
Where would you travel if fuel was limited?
What is the impact on your future if the schools close?
And who gets to drink when the water runs dry?
Yemen: Inside a Crisis is the UK’s first exhibition to address Yemen’s on-going conflict and humanitarian crisis. Showcasing around 50 objects and photographs, many of which have been exclusively sourced from Yemen, alongside personal stories, the exhibition gives insight into the realities faced by Yemenis every day, as well as their incredible resilience.
Imperial War Museum North
Until 26 January 2020
Yemen: Say hello to connect is created by FutureEverything and commissioned by Imperial War Museum. The artwork was created with Vicky Clarke, Chris Ball and Amerah Saleh. With thanks to Kunstruct.
