March 15 – 26, 2023.
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LAB 2021-2022

THE PATHOGEN OF WAR

A medical mystery confronts us with how we are interconnected. An Iraqi physician turned medical anthropologist uncovers how conflict is linked to the evolution and spread of a bacteria that has defeated the world’s superpowers, threatening modern medicine, to ask “if war is a key driver of disease, can we end all wars to save our health?” Dr. Omar Dewachi.

A medical mystery about the unexpected aftermaths of war. In this interactive installation, Iraqi physician turned medical anthropologist Dr. Omar Dewachi will take users on a journey to explore the mystery of Acinetobacter baumannii, also known by its US moniker ‘Iraqibacter’ or ‘ the ‘invisible enemy’. This became a major health threat in 2003 with the US invasion of Iraq, appearing and thriving on the wounds of US soldiers, yet it affected many more Iraqis. This once non-pathogenic organism has become the world’s most antibiotic resistant, which the WHO has named the number one threat to global health and a priority pathogen for research and development.
By pulling together pop culture references, war history, archives and science, this encounter will reveal the many layers of this bacteria’s social history – from the microscopic to the geopolitical, unearthing how the consequences of long term sanctions and war can drive pathogens like Acinetobacter baumannii, which threaten the viability of antibiotics, and our health, globally.

THE TEAM

Yasmin Fedda, Director
Biography

Yasmin Fedda’s most recent film Ayouni, on forcible disappearance in Syria, premiered at CPH:Dox (2020). Her titles include Queens of Syria (2014), Steal from the Capitalists (2015) and Breadmakers (2007). Her work has screened internationally including at Sundance, Carthage, & Edinburgh, and won many awards including Best Film and Best Director awards, and been Bafta nominated. Her work has been broadcast on BBC and Al Jazeera English and screened at cinemas and galleries. Yasmin is also a film lecturer and curator.

May Abdalla, Experience designer & Consultant
Biography

May Abdalla is a documentary filmmaker who has worked internationally making films for the BBC, Channel 4 and Al Jazeera. As half of ANAGRAM (Collider; Goliath) she is writing and producing immersive documentaries that bring physical experience into screen narratives.

Dan Davies, Producer
Biography

Dan Davies is an executive producer whose work has been broadcast on the BBC, Channel 4, ITV1, Al Jazeera English & PBS. He has created and overseen documentary series including Rebel Architecture, Rebel Geeks, The New African Photography and Europe’s Forbidden Colony (2x 50’), and produced investigations for Al Jazeera’s People and Power series and BBC1s flagship Panorama strand. As a playwright with work performed on BBC Radio 4, Resonance FM, as well as at theatres including Britain’s National Theatre Studio and The Arcola. He also has experience of devising artistic work that takes the audience on an immersive and interactive journey.