Al-Mutanabbi Street

On March 5th, 2007, a car bomb exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street near the old quarter of Baghdad in Iraq. Named after the 10th century classical Iraqi poet Al-Mutanabbi, the street was filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls and was considered to be the heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the explosion, and the street and its community were destroyed.

One response to the attack was the formation of another community, this one of international artists and writers, who came together to produce a collection of broadsheets, artists’ books, and writings expressing the broader artistic community’s solidarity with that of Iraq. Instigated by a San Francisco bookseller, Beau Beausoleil, artists were invited to submit broadsheets, artists’ books and writings to commemorate this tragic event. This coalition of contributing artists calls itself the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition. Since its formation the coalition has sought to support and promote awareness of the enduring nature of the written word, art, and freedom of expression. The attack on Al-Mutanabbi Street has been seen as an assault on these basic principles, as well as on the artistic community as a whole, and that the suffering of Al-Mutanabbi Street, its community, its businesses, and what it represents in the wider cultural context, is shared by the global cultural community. Each artist was requested to create 3 copies of their response that would reflect both the strength and fragility of books, but would also show the endurance of the ideas they express. Here at the Herron Library we are fortunate to have, as part of our permanent collection, three of the works created in response to the bombing. A complete set of all the books will be donated to the Iraq National Library in Baghdad. Another set will tour the world demonstrating the universality of the artistic response. The Herron Library has been chosen as one of the libraries that will co-curate and exhibit the entire collection of over 250 books and broadsheets. This will take place in October, 2014.

On December 18, 2008, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki officially reopened Al-Mutanabbi Street.

In the Herron Art Library the following 3 artists’ books are on permanent display.

Memento
By Julie Chen 
Berkeley [California]: Flying Fish Press, 2012.  Number 12 of an edition of 50.

A custom-made copper case/locket (1.8125 x 2.375 x 0.75") by Christina Kemp houses on one side a miniature book (1.5 x 2.125 x 0.375", 56 pages) letterpress printed on Kitakata and opens on the other side to reveal a triptych. The case/locket and a web strip (for wearing the locket) are housed in cavities in a padded clamshell box (5.625 x 6.75 x 2.875") with title on the cover. The colophon slips into a groove in the box's base. Materials: copper box: bookcloth; binder's board; satin; plexiglass.

Julie Chen: "Memento is about the fragility of the book and the power of reading. It includes a miniature book that is housed in a metal locket that allows the reader to wear the book close to the body. The simple act of carrying a book on one's person has diverse implications depending on circumstance and place. The locket also houses a triptych that contains a woven token commemorating Al-Mutanabbi Street in Iraq. The texts on the woven strips are taken from the preambles to the constitutions of the United States and Iraq. The image surrounding the token is of a booksellers stall on Al-Mutanabbi Street prior to the bombing in 2007. While the commemorative aspect of this piece is clear, the content of Memento addresses philosophical questions about the nature of reading and information transfer in our own lives as well as within the context of western culture in general. This edition is part of An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street."

Memory of Al-Mutanabbi Street

by Christine Kermaire [Charleroi, Belgium : Christine Kermaire] 2012. Number 157 of an edition of 300.

Four rectangular pieces of tan paper folded into three over-lapping layers and attached at one end to a black and gray houndstooth print fabric and pasteboard cover. The book consists of the names of people who were killed in the car bombing, inscribed around an endless screw and pulled by a red thread. The graphics were inspired by the lintels of wood carving “ham yo“) placed at the front of the houses to protect against “the wrong spirits” (Asia).(Artist’s description)

Memory of Al-Mutanabbi Street

And a second title in Christine Kermaire’s “An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street” trilogy:

Future of Al-Mutanabbi Street

by Christine Kermaire 

[Charleroi, Belgium : Christine Kermaire] 2012. Number 157 of an edition of 300.

Future of Al-Mutanabbi Street

Contains nine mounted miniature printed books with marbled paper covers, each containing the same English language text of a poetic passage by the Iraqi poet Al-Mutanabbi, and bound in hounds- tooth silk-screened cloth.

Event

The Herron Art Library will host a reading on March 5^th, 2014 (4-6 pm) to commemorate the bombing of Al-Mutanabbi Street. The event is free and open to the public. These books and a selection of broadsheets created in response to the bombing are on display.