Judy Radul – World Rehearsal Court, MARCH 30–APRIL 30, 2017
Judy Radul World Rehearsal Court March 30–April 30, 2017
GULAG History State Museum, Moscow, Russia
This spring, V-A-C Foundation and the GULAG History State Museum present Judy
Radul’s multi-channel video installation World Rehearsal Court and a screening of Kristina Norman’s film A Monument to Please Everyone.
The two presentations are the final part of the programme Process. Case Studies at
the Museum which looks at ideas around historical representation, from the capacity
of objects and images to embody reality and the limitations of the documentary
form, to the complexity surrounding the depiction of historic trauma and violence. It is
divided into sections which focus on subjects including evidence, hearings, landscape,
observation and monuments, and features a range of international contemporary
works alongside a series of talks and accompanying newspapers.
Judy Radul explores the performative aspects of the courtroom and the role of
theatricality and new technologies in the justice system. Her multimedia installation
World Rehearsal Court (2009) is the culmination of two years of research into the
judicial processes of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Investigating the role of video observation in the
courtroom sessions, and questioning the concept of an unbiased court in an era of
mass media imagery, Radul presents a series of pre-recorded courtroom scenes
based on trial transcripts.
On 27 April 2017, a one day event will include a screening of Kristina Norman’s 2011
documentary film A Monument to Please Everyone, followed by a discussion around
the role of memorials in contemporary Russia. Norman’s work often explores issues
around collective memory and the film looks at Estonian identity through the process
of building the country’s main national monument—The War of Independence Victory
Column.
The 4th newspaper in the series will be published to coincide with the opening of Judy
Radul’s exhibition and includes two essays, ‘Video Chamber’ by Radul and ‘Marble
Columns and Jupiter Lights: Theatrical and Cinematic Modeling of Soviet Show Trials
in the 1920s’ by Julie A. Cassiday. The publication also features a new interview by
Anna Ilchenko with Russian lawyer Kirill Koroteev from Russian historical and civil
rights society Memorial. The interview discusses the role of video in the European and
Russian courts and how it defines perceptions of historical events.
Process. Case Studies at the Museum aims to highlight themes and intersections of
expertise and interest between the art community and historians, archivists and other
specialists working in this field and form the basis for an ongoing art and theory
platform. It is part of V–A–C’s long term programme to introduce contemporary art to
non-art museums, as a way of dialoguing with the structure, exploring its identity and
contents, and of encouraging many different audiences to engage with contemporary
art.
