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Walled Unwalled
by Lawrence Abu Hamdan
Germany 2018, 30′
Presented at Lo schermo dell’arte 2019
Direction, screenplay, and performance: Lawrence Abu Hamdan
Production: Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Jarred Alterman
Cinematography and editing: Jarred Alterman
Production: Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Jarred Alterman
Cinematography and editing: Jarred Alterman
Sound: Shakeeb Abu Hamdan
Architectural animations: Rami El Murr
Language: VO: English; Sub: Italian
Architectural animations: Rami El Murr
Language: VO: English; Sub: Italian
Walled Unwalled explores the relationship between sound, architecture, surveillance, and power through a series of real-life legal cases in which crucial evidence was heard through walls. Set inside the historic Funkhaus studios in East Berlin, the film connects stories ranging from the trial of Oscar Pistorius to testimonies from survivors of the Syrian prison of Saydnaya, reflecting on how listening can become both a tool for uncovering truth and a mechanism of control. Through a layered audiovisual essay, Lawrence Abu Hamdan questions the very idea of borders, privacy, and the supposed solidity of walls in a world where sound — and violence — constantly pass through them.
Lawrence Abu Hamdan (Amman, 1985) lives between London, Beirut and Dubai. His investigations in the field of sound are conducted as part of his research for Forensic Architecture at Goldsmiths College London, and have been presented as evidence before UK immigration tribunals and in support of organizations such as Amnesty International. Abu Hamdan’s work transcends the boundaries separating the role of the artist from that of the political actor, expanding the aesthetics of sound in contemporary art and placing new emphasis on the act of listening. In 2017, his film Rubber Coated Steel won the Tiger Short Film Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. In 2019, Hamdan was nominated for the Turner Prize for his exhibition Earwitness Theatre and the performance After Six. His works are part of the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Centre Pompidou, and Tate Modern.
Selected Filmography
2016 Rubber Coated Steel; 2014 The All-Hearing
2016 Rubber Coated Steel; 2014 The All-Hearing