'This Is Camp X-Ray' on preview night
View from the main gates with gun emplacement.
CCTV video capture of guard and prisoner
Guards with replica guns were on duty 24 hrs and followed a regime copied from media reports.
The documentary of 'This Is Camp X-Ray' is available to order from our shop.
Manchester Evening News coverage. The project was reported extensively around the world.
This Is Camp X-Ray
'This Is Camp X-Ray' is an installation consisting of a fully operational, life-size replica of the U.S internment camp at Guantanamo Bay. It was created on land earmarked for regeneration in October 2003.
It set out to challenge apathy over the US Army's Guantanamo Bay camp and investigated the experiences of incarceration and sensory deprivation.
'This Is Camp X-Ray' was constructed in Manchester and was operational from Friday 10th October to Saturday 18th October, 2003. The camp was built for 'Don't Cross The Line' - a series of three new art works on the theme of 'the new imperialism' Commissioned by UHC and artist Helen Knowles.
It was built and maintained using only mainstream media images as its source. There were prisoners and guards on site throughout the installation.
A video documentary following 'This is Camp X-Ray' through its inception, construction, operation and aftermath was also commissioned. It features interviews with Collective members and individuals who took part as guards and prisoners. There is reaction from local residents and passers-by and the film concludes with an emotional interview with the sisters of Jamal Al-Harith, a Manchester resident who was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2004 after 3 years of imprisonment without charge.
The documentary premiered on 12th December 2004 and gives a facinating insight into the workings of the project. A DVD is available in our shop. Running time 73 minutes.
Ultimate Holding Company continues to work on art installations in public space. Our aim is to challenge perceptions of art, find new audiences, critique regeneration practices and draw attention to topics underrepresented by mainstream arts and media.