A potent portrayal of cruelty

Fringe Performance

TAYEEBA ASHRAF

Exhibit B

Playfair Library Hall THE inhumane, racial terror that has plagued a large part of our history is hauntingly showcased in Exhibit B. The installation has a tense atmosphere, each person feeding off the obvious discomfort of the other, as the spectators sit waiting for their turn.

A stony eyed woman holds up a number signalling each departure, and we are met by two workers directing us.

All around the library are men and women, some dressed in rags, secluded upon stands, and some bare. Harsh visuals of men, young and old, gagged and bound, fill the room, contrasting with the sweet and soothing sound of the choir. Tales of beheading, skinning and isolation are displayed. I felt ashamed for being unable to maintain eye contact.

What is projected onto the viewers, through these eyes? Blankness, complete submission to the ruthless objectification they had no choice but to tolerate. Numbered stickers on their chests, chains covering their bodies and expressions devoid of any emotion.

Exhibit B portrays “otherness”, allowing the viewer to experience utter humiliation felt physically, mentally and spiritually. It is one thing to read history, but another to be fully transported into it.

Exhibit B is an intense portrayal of human brutality. Thoughtprovoking and beautiful. Tayeeba Ashraf is a pupil at Portobello High School and this review was submitted as part of The Herald Young Critics Project with the Edinburgh International Festival.