October 14, 2004
Turbulence Artist Studios: [ FALLUJAH . IRAQ . 31/03/2004 ] by Michael
Takeo Magruder
http://turbulence.org/studios/takeo
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According to witnesses and U.S. officials, four American 'civilians'
were ambushed and shot or beaten to death by Iraqi insurgents.
Townspeople mutilated the bodies of the men, dragged them through the
streets, lynched them from a bridge, and burned them while crowds danced
and cheered. The desecration of the victims' bodies was filmed in its
entirety by an Associated Press camera crew. There was no intervention
by coalition forces during the attack or the subsequent mutilations. The
coverage of the event was highly censored on all international media
networks. The 'civilian' casualties were mercenaries employed by
Blackwater Security Consulting, of Moyock, N.C.

This work is not intended as a discourse on the axiom of 'the evil
nature of war'. It is merely a consideration of an event we have (or
have not) witnessed and a reflection on the iconic nature of conflict in
the new millennium.

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Takeo Magruder is an American artist based in the UK who works
within the fields of New and Interactive Media. He received his formal
education at the University of Virginia, USA, graduating with a degree
in Biological Sciences.

For the past eight years his artistic practice has reflected upon
society's data-driven and information saturated existence through the
examination of international news communications. By recombining the
notions of art and media, it has been his intention to analyze the
interconnections which have been forged between the individual and the
pervasive media network. It is a questioning of product vs. process,
knowledge vs. stimulation, fact vs. perspective.

Magruder's artistic production has been exhibited worldwide and
encompasses an eclectic mix of forms, ranging from futuristic
stained-glass windows, digital lightscreens and modular light-sculptures
to architectural manipulations, ephemeral video projections and
interactive network installations. His current explorations and research
embrace 3D stereoscopic projection, immersive multi-sensory environments
and interactive non-linear narratives for network/gallery settings. His
work in these fields is presently supported by Turbulence.org, 3D
Visualization Group: University of Warwick, and Arts Council England.

For further information about Turbulence please visit http://turbulence.org

–
Jo-Anne Green, Associate Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog and Conference: http://turbulence.org/blog