European culture award for Forensic Architecture

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The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) has honoured Forensic Architecture, an independent research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Forensic Architecture used a 3D model to examine whether Abu al-Qi‘an’s car could have rolled downhill of its own accord toward Israeli policemen.

The agency is one of two laureates to receive this year’s ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture: an annual Award to artists and thinkers who inspire change in the way people shape societies – pioneers who are contributing to a more open and democratic Europe through culture.

The theme of the 10th edition of Award is ‘How do courageous citizens make a difference through culture?’ The Award, that comes with a prize of €25,000 per laureate, will be presented on 16 May 2018 at a ceremony in the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Laureates also receive a unique chart of Europe created by Dutch artist Jan Rothuizen.

Both Forensic Architecture, and this year’s other laureate Borderland (Poland), were praised by the ECF for seeing art as a way of exposing injustice in communities, and helping people to recover and rethink the past in order to change the world.

Image: Killing in Umm al-Hiran 2017: Forensic Architecture used a 3D model to examine whether Abu al-Qi‘an’s car could have rolled downhill of its own accord toward Israeli policemen when the driver was injured. Image: Forensic Architecture, 2018.