Exhibition

Jananne Al-Ani is a London-based, Iraqi-born artist working with photography, film and video. Her practice is concerned with the power of testimony, representations of landscapes marked by conflict, and the legacy of British power and influence globally.

In Timelines, an ambitious new moving image work, Al-Ani reveals a micro landscape in the surface of a highly decorated brass tray that originated in Iraq and is now held in the V&A Collection. The tray is said to depict events on Armistice Day, 1918, in the Iraqi town of al-Hindiyyah. World War 1 biplanes fly over the river Euphrates which cuts across the centre of the tray, crowds of highly stylised Arab men and women and British soldiers in uniform are shown from a bird’s eye view on either side of the river. Using ultra close-up photographs of the engraved surface and computer animation, Al-Ani transforms the flattened perspective of the scene into a vast and varied landscape.

Alongside this visual journey, a distinctive voice emerges - the artist draws upon interviews with her mother, recalling personal experiences of growing up in Britain as the child of Irish immigrants and living in Iraq through intense social and political change. Her mother’s memories move between these contexts, creating a layered narrative where multiple timelines intersect and overlap.

Timelines is presented across a large-scale curved screen creating an immersive environment in which to encounter these stories.

Co-commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella and Towner Eastbourne with Art Fund support through the Moving Image Fund for Museums.

Presented alongside Bringing to Light: Jananne Al-Ani curates the Towner Collection, 12 February to 22 May 2022.

Accessible Guide

If you are visiting the exhibition, you can download below a large print copy of the label text and a transcription for Jananne Al-Ani: Timelines. 

You can also access the printed Large Print Guide and Transcript in the gallery by asking a member of staff at the exhibition entrance.

Tuesday 5 April 2022  

In focus: Brass tray commemorating Armistice Day, Iraq 

Artist Jananne Al-Ani, V&A curator Tim Stanley and art historian Sussan Babaie discussed a brass tray from Iraq that takes a central role in Jananne’s new commission Timelines and was lent from the V&A to the Towner Collection show Bringing to Light. 

Tuesday 26 April 2022 

In-conversation: Jananne Al-Ani, Michael Rakowitz and Rijin Sahakian 

Artists Jananne Al-Ani and Michael Rakowitz and writer and arts organiser Rijin Sahakian had a conversation exploring the transnational threads linking their work and past and present Iraqi art and culture.   

Watch here

Saturday 7 May 2022

In-person panel discussion: Technology and conflict in Jananne Al-Ani’s artwork

Lawyer Andrea Wallace, curator Michaela Crimmin and artist Jananne Al-Ani discussed themes within Jananne’s practice including how the technology used in modern warfare impacts contested landscapes and the translation to film of museum objects using digital tools. The discussion was moderated by Towner curator Noelle Collins.

Saturday 12 March, Saturday 9 April and Saturday 14 May 2022 

Wood Engraving Masterclasses 

Emily Johns, a printmaker and painter based in Hastings led a series of masterclasses introducing wood engraving, a printmaking technique practised by Eric Ravilious – whose works were presented in Bringing to Light: Jananne Al-Ani curates the Towner Collection. 

Tuesday 12 April 

Telling Tales 

Amy Brown (Cult Milk) led a workshop for families looking at a brass tray from Iraq, on loan from the V&A, and the accompanying video work.  

Participants explored how different perspectives and experiences affect how stories are told and how they are heard, and what makes an object meaningful. They used recycled crockery as a canvas, collaborating to tell stories and turn an everyday object into a commemorative piece.  

Wednesday 13 April 

Making Tracks 

Amy Brown (Cult Milk) led a workshop for families looking at Jananne’s aerial photography and video work exploring themes of natural and manmade landscapes and looking at the connection of our collective footprint and what we leave behind. Participants used clay to create their own micro-landscapes, looking at imprints and negative space. Using found objects and textures, they created abstract maps of imagined landscapes.