After Cloud Studies

In 2021, we exhibited Cloud Studies at Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester. The title referred to the advent of meteorology in the 19th century in the combined work of scientists and artists, but rather than looking at the weather, the exhibition mapped today’s toxic clouds: from teargas in the US, Palestine, and Chile, through to chemical strikes in Syria, to those produced by extractive industries in Argentina, to the CO2 clouds created by forest fires in Indonesia.

In May, as we worked on the exhibition, Israeli attacks on Gaza began. We followed closely as collaborators, friends and former staff in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine sent us horrific images in real time of the destruction Israeli forces were wreaking on their homes and businesses. When we witnessed clouds of toxic fumes rising over the bombed-out chemical facilities in Beit Lahia, it felt like a live rendition of our Cloud Studies.

The exhibition included the following printed statement titled “Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine”:

While working on this exhibition, Forensic Architecture witnessed with horror yet another attack by Israel’s occupation forces on Palestinians. Partners and friends in Gaza told us first-hand about their experiences of the attacks that destroyed multi-storey buildings, homes, the offices of news organisations, schools, hospitals and businesses. The ferocity of the bombing produced man-made environmental disasters, with underground explosions leading to artificial earthquakes under Gaza City. At the same time, the targeting of agricultural storage facilities produced massive ‘airquakes’, with clouds of toxic fumes covering entire residential areas. Elsewhere across Palestine, we saw the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian neighbourhoods by Israeli police and settlers, and raids and tear gas used against cultural centres, including that of our collaborators and friends in Dar Jacir.

We honour the courage of Palestinians who continue to document and narrate events on the ground and to struggle against this violence, apartheid and colonization. We believe that this liberation struggle is inseparable from other global struggles against racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and settler colonial violence and we acknowledge its particularly close entanglement with the Black liberation struggle around the world.

Our statement was removed by the Whitworth following criticism and pressure from groups such as UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI). The statement was subsequently reinstated after persistent action by pro-Palestine activists–and 13,000 letters sent to the gallery–managed to reverse Manchester University’s position.

The following archive chronicles the attempted censorship and ensuing controversy.