David Birkin: Mouths at the Invisible Event

Mouths at the Invisible Event celebrates an exhibition of the same name by British artist David Birkin. Birkin’s multimedia work centers around censorship, spectatorship, and the legal and linguistic frameworks underpinning war. He reflects on not only the failure of images, but also the failure of truth and the manipulation of legislative language for political means. Uniquely designed to emulate the appearance of a classified document, the book is richly illustrated with full-color images of Birkin’s work. In addition, it features essays by cultural critic Emily Apter and the artist that examine the contrived ambiguity of political and military rhetoric, providing a contemporary commentary on language, aesthetics, and the ethos of modern warfare.