Towner Gallery

Timelines: The power of testimony, representations of landscapes marked by conflict and the legacy of British power and influence globally.

In Timelines, Jananne Al-Ani, a London-based, Iraqi-born artist, reveals a micro landscape in the surface of a highly decorated brass tray that originated in Iraq and is now held in the V&A collection. The tray depicts the events on Armistice Day, 1918, in the Iraqi town of al-Hindiyyah. World War 1 biplanes fly over the river Euphrates which cuts across the centre of the tray, crowds of highly stylised Arab men and women and British soldiers in uniform are shown from a bird’s eye view on either side of the river. Using ultra close-up photographs of the engraved surface and computer animation, Al-Ani transforms the flattened perspective of the scene into a vast and varied landscape.

Alongside this visual journey, a distinctive voice emerges – the artist draws upon interviews with her mother, recalling personal experiences of growing up in Britain as the child of Irish immigrants and living in Iraq through intense social and political change. Her mother’s memories move between these contexts, creating a layered narrative where multiple timelines intersect and overlap.

Timelines is presented across a large-scale curved screen creating an immersive environment in which to encounter these stories. This panoramic presentation, which mimics a 19^th century diorama, is made possible by HIVE technology.

For Exhibition info: click here

With special thanks to: Jananne-Al-Ani, Towner Gallery, Art Fund, FVU, The Mill & Ben Stern

The HIVE media player was central to the presentation delivery, providing a solid, dependable, and most importantly, cost-effective platform that helped turn the artist’s vision into a remarkable reality.
Mike Jones, Technical Manager, Film and Video Umbrella (FVU)