Review of Laura Poitras: Astro Noise, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY 5 February - 1 May, Asthetica Magazine, P. 126, Vol. 70, April/May 2016

REVIEW OF LAURA POITRAS: ASTRO NOISE, WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, NEW YORK, NY 5 February - 1 May, AESTHETICA MAGAZINE P. 126, Issue 70, April/May 2016

The first room of Laura Poitras's exhibition Astro Noise is dark and strangely seductive. A double-sided video screen, suspended from the ceiling in the centre of the space, creates a kind of theatre-in-the-round viewing experience. One side depicts Ground Zero shortly after 9/11 attacks. The second screen presents two different videos of prisoners undergoing interrogation by American soldiers in Afghanistan, a recognizable scene. The grainy, washed-out surveillance footage is captivating, compelling visitors to remain watching the films for prolonged periods, which, given the troubling content is surprising.
One of the most provocative scenes observes a US soldier standing in front of an Afghan prisoner who is sitting on the floor in chains. Facing away from the camera, the soldier's body blocks the perspective and view into his actions. Earlier videos of torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq by fellow American soldiers come to mind through this presentation. As the scene unfolds, it becomes clear that the soldier was only handcuffing the prisoner and then walking away.
This ambiguity or inference is one of the the strengths of the documentarian's work and is prevalent in the videos exhibited. She employs a degree of unpleasantness that could be criticized. Instead, audiences digest and consider the reality and severity of life in the 21st century: fear fueled America, the war on terror, the drones, the phenomenon of being under constant surveillance—ironically, the viewers are of course being watched. One can also see the details of Poitras's own surveillance by the US government, which she only obtained following a lawsuit.