Adel Abidin: Common Vocabulary

One Channel Video Installation

Common Vocabulary presents the most common Iraqi vocabulary among children in Baghdad nowadays, vocabulary such as; Death, occupation, abduction, genocide, mass graves, water shortages, no electricity. The new vocabulary is printed on flash cards to educate the viewer. A seven-year-old girl from Iraqi origins learns how to pronounce the terms in a video tutorial.

This work was shown at: 4th Gothenburg Biennial, Sweden (2007), Louis Vuitton- Espace Galley of Contemporary Art, Paris (2008), Location One, New York City (2010).

Details:

Duration: 00’04’00 min (Loop)

Drawings: 8 different cards, Size: 15 x 15 cm