In Search of the Truth : 08/18/13

Sunday, 18 August 2013

Ouch!

The Truth is . . . Scorpions! from Ryan Alexiev on Vimeo.

A lighthearted Truth Booth video in English filmed at Babur Gardens. We're busy translating the others which are mostly in Dari and Pashto.

The Truth Booth team at Qargha lake

From left: Antoinette deJong and Ian MacWilliam (from FreePress Unlimited), Jim Ricks and Ryan Alexiev (from Cause Collective).

Qargha lake was the site of a major terrorist attack last year by the Taliban. We're scoping the site right now as a potential Truth Booth location. Very secure now and a favorite place for people from Kabul to picnic and swim.

Qargha Hookahs

Translation: No swimming*

*Not because it's dangerous, just deep. Most Afghans can't swim and there were a lot of drownings.

Bought us some melon!

Melons are in season out here and a lot of different kinds . . . endless stands, endless melons.

World Tour

The Truth Booth is a giant inflatable video recording booth that uses this simple format: participants are asked to finish the statement "The Truth is . . ." in under 2 minutes.

This is a long-term public art project by Cause Collective artists Ryan Alexiev, Hank Willis Thomas, and Jim Ricks.

We toured Afghanistan with the Truth Booth in August and September of 2013. We partnered with 1TV, a leading Afghan TV station, and Free Press Unlimited to help bring the booth to remote regions of the country.

Using this open ended format, we hope to engage directly with the people of Afghanistan (whose voice often remains unheard by traditional broadcast media) and create a innovative form of cross-cultural conversation and understanding.

Since, we have taken the Booth to Cleveland, OH, Burning Man, Palo Alto, CA, and the Facebook HQ. We are on our way to South Africa and Miami next.