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ATTACK #! (2003-2007)
When George W. Bush declares war on Iraq, ATSA counters with its ATTACK series. An SUV, the perfect symbol of arrogant wealth, is sacrificed in a car bomb attack. It lies there, still oozing smoke. Within its singed shell, a television screen flashes a video manifesto juxtaposing images of the collapsing Twin Towers, advertisements of SUVs conquering the last remaining frontiers of wildlife, and people dying of smog. A protest soundtrack’s cadence is reminiscent of the Front de libération du Québec’s first communiqué to the authorities. The entire staging is a hyper-realistic enactment of a terrorist attack and points an accusatory finger at the automobile industry, consumers and governments alike. A no-holds-barred, destabilizing experience whose in-your-face violence forces public awareness of the perverse repercussions of our addiction to fossil fuel.
ATTACK has been presented in Montreal, Québec City, Ottawa (Galerie Saw Gallery and Saw Video), Toronto (Theatre Centre), Calgary (High Performance Rodeo) and Vancouver (Push Festival, grunt gallery and the Vancouver Art Gallery).
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