Brian Conley: Miniature War in Iraq …and Now Afghanistan / The Boiler, Pierogi
- 14 years ago
Miniature War in Iraq …and Now Afghanistan is a project by New York artist Brian Conley that simulates recent battles from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The project was presented at Pierogi’s satellite exhibition space, the Boiler, for a 45-day installation and a one-night performance. The performance took place on March 6, and is documented in this video.
The project began in March 2007, when Brian Conley worked with a group of historical miniature gamers at the Las Vegas Games Expo. Conley asked them to play / fight recent battles from the war in Iraq. Working from Brian Conley’s instructions, the gamers built a diorama that first represented a town in the Zarga region near Najaf. Although beginning from historically accurate circumstances, their games were not simple reenactments. The events proceeded not only according to military strategy, but via rolls of the dice. Thus, the play yielded ahistorical outcomes.
The installation at Pierogi’s Boiler space presented the original game-table as it stood after the final Las Vegas game, video documentation of the Iraqi games in play, news materials gathered by the Arabic-speaking research team, and large-format photographic portraits of the miniature figures.
On March 6th members of the East Coast Historical Gaming Miniatures Society played a new game in a live performance, based on current events in Afghanistan.
Brian Conley: Miniature War in Iraq …and Now Afghanistan / The Boiler, Pierogi, New York. Live Performance, March 6, 2010, 9 – 11 pm.
The project began in March 2007, when Brian Conley worked with a group of historical miniature gamers at the Las Vegas Games Expo. Conley asked them to play / fight recent battles from the war in Iraq. Working from Brian Conley’s instructions, the gamers built a diorama that first represented a town in the Zarga region near Najaf. Although beginning from historically accurate circumstances, their games were not simple reenactments. The events proceeded not only according to military strategy, but via rolls of the dice. Thus, the play yielded ahistorical outcomes.
The installation at Pierogi’s Boiler space presented the original game-table as it stood after the final Las Vegas game, video documentation of the Iraqi games in play, news materials gathered by the Arabic-speaking research team, and large-format photographic portraits of the miniature figures.
On March 6th members of the East Coast Historical Gaming Miniatures Society played a new game in a live performance, based on current events in Afghanistan.
Brian Conley: Miniature War in Iraq …and Now Afghanistan / The Boiler, Pierogi, New York. Live Performance, March 6, 2010, 9 – 11 pm.