Forensic Architecture
Investigating state and corporate violence globally, presenting our findings from the courtroom to the gallery. Based at Goldsmiths, University of London.
- We’re honoured to announce a major new project supported by @wellcometrust.bsky.social. UNLEARNING ‘EXCITED DELIRIUM’ brings together a world-class team to confront an urgent health, human rights, racial & social justice issue. Meet our partners below… unlearnexd.org
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View full threadThe project will also draw upon the knowledge and expertise of Black Thrive Haringey, part of the Black Thrive movement amplifying lived experience, pushing for systemic change, and empowering Black communities: blackthrive.org/wp-content/u...
- And finally, we’re delighted to be working with @inquest-org.bsky.social, the UK’s leading voice on state-related deaths, to ensure that our research can support the pursuit of accountability. Read INQUEST’s report from 2023, here: www.inquest.org.uk/i-cant-breat...
- Around FA’s research, the team from Just Knowledge will host community ‘data clubs’, bringing local expertise and lived experience to bear on national-scale data on police use of force. Here’s Just Knowledge on racial disparities in ‘Stop & Search’ in Britain: justknowledge.org.uk/case-studies...
- Giving historical context to contemporary urgencies, Dr Adam Elliot Cooper @adamec87.bsky.social will extend our project from FA’s investigations to the roots of ‘Excited Delirium’ in colonial psychopathology. Adam on policing, race, and resistance in Britain: polarjournal.org/2023/11/08/r...
- The project builds on decades of activism on race and policing by Stafford Scott, of Tottenham Rights and a Guest Professor with FA here at Goldsmiths. The seeds for this project were sown during 2021’s unforgettable WAR INNA BABYLON at ICA in London. www.ica.art/exhibitions/...
- In 2022, a major report by @p4hr.bsky.social exposed the racist origins of ‘Excited Delirium’ (ExD). Despite no scientific basis, ExD and its inheritor ABD are still often referred to when racialised men are killed by police. We’re set to continue PHR’s vital work: phr.org/our-work/res...
- Gaza after the ceasefire is defined by the ‘yellow line’ — drawn by Israel, and dividing the strip in two. Our evidence suggests that Israel seeks to make the line permanent, as ‘reconstruction’ plans normalise this new stage of Israel’s occupation: frames.forensic-architecture.org/gaza/ceasefire
- Last week, the Juvenile Court in Lesvos finally acquitted three of the ‘Moria 6’—six young asylum seekers who were falsely accused and convicted of starting the fire that destroyed the Moria refugee camp in 2020—ending years of unjust imprisonment. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- With Forensis, we contributed to the trial as expert witnesses, reconstructing the spread of the fire using videos captured on the night. Our findings contradict the sole witness testimony that originally led to the arrest and conviction of the Moria 6. vimeo.com/802660147
- We welcome the court’s decision, which ends years of suffering for these three young men. Our commitment remains strong in support of the legal team as they continue to seek justice for the three that have yet to be exonerated. #MoriaTrialWatch #JusticeForMoria6
- Egypt's plan for Gaza’s reconstruction (presented on 4 March) includes an architectural master plan that carries forward key elements of Israel’s designed destruction of Gaza, with its proposal for (1) a ‘buffer zone’, (2) security corridors, and (3) raid routes.
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View full thread(3) Raid Routes: Over the last 17 months, we identified 13 raid routes created by Israel, extending into the Gaza Strip from Israeli bases east of the perimeter. The Egyptian master plan includes provisions for expanding these routes to the sea, allowing Israel the means to invade and bisect Gaza.
- For decades, Israel has routinely destroyed the dense and winding fabric of Palestinian camps and neighbourhoods, which gave Palestinians an advantage that offset the occupier’s technological capabilities. By contrast, the housing blocks proposed in Egypt's plan can be easily invaded and monitored.
- (1) Buffer Zone: Since October 2023, Israel has destroyed all structures within 1-1.5km of the Gaza perimeter. Egypt's plan effectively endorses the erasure of Palestinian neighbourhoods within this zone, rezoning them for agricultural, investment, and industrial purposes.
- (2) Security corridors: Since October 2023, Israel has constructed a 6km-wide impenetrable barrier along Wadi Gaza and expanded the buffer zone along the border with Egypt. The Egyptian master plan incorporates this de facto reality.
- We have continued to track Israeli military conduct since the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January. Our analysis confirmed 16 attacks on civilians and multiple incidents in which urban and civilian infrastructure was destroyed between 19 January and 9 February. tinyurl.com/FA-ceasefire...
- The majority of attacks on civilians that we identified were concentrated in Rafah, and along or in proximity to Salah al-Din and al-Rashid Roads, the two major arteries by which civilians were permitted to return to the north.
- Satellite images from 19 January reveal ongoing destruction of urban and civilian infrastructure in Rafah and in proximity to the Netzarim Corridor, even as the Israeli military was reportedly withdrawing from the latter area. Two UNWRA schools were among the destroyed facilities.
- NEW: w/ Palestine Land Society & Palestinian survivors, we uncovered evidence of a massacre carried out by Israel during the 1948 Nakba in the village of al-Dawayima, identifying the likely locations of the massacre & mass grave where victims were buried: forensic-architecture.org/investigatio...
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View full threadUntil now, there was little documentation of the ethnic cleansing and destruction of al-Dawayima. Aerial images (1945-2024) reveal the systematic erasure of the village & gradual construction of present-day Israeli colonies of Karmei Katif, Amatzia & Bnei Dekalim, built over the village’s remains.
- Our ongoing research into the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian villages understands the Nakba not only as a historical event, but also an ongoing strategy of colonial erasure that Israel continues to implement today.
- Palestinian survivors identified the location of the massacre as having taken place outside the ‘Tur al-Zagh' cave where civilians had fled as Israeli forces invaded. Using imagery, maps, and testimonies from former residents, we reconstructed al-Dawayima and Tur al-Zagh in 3D.
- Central to our investigation were ‘memory maps’ of al-Dawayima produced by Mohammad Rajab Abu Khudra with the help of witnesses to the massacre. The survivors we interviewed used these maps to provide invaluable details about the Israeli attack and the village’s layout, aiding our reconstruction.
- We're looking to work with an early career researcher. Deadline to apply is 27 February 2025. More info: jobs.gold.ac.uk/vacancy/rese...
- Following news of the proposed demolition of Grenfell tower, we're reminded of the testimonies shared with us by those impacted by the fire. Together, we modelled former homes within the tower, specifically the features that exacerbated this tragedy. Watch: forensic-architecture.org/investigatio...
- 'These are the type of politics you’d expect of the British empire in the 19th century,' says Eyal Weizman on Trump’s colonial plans for Gaza. 'To simply erase Gaza and turn it into a riviera is a way to continue the work of destruction by construction': www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
- NEW INVESTIGATION: Israeli forces repeatedly attacked Gaza’s main port in the week following 7 Oct 2023. By Jan 2024, after months of continued attacks, all docked vessels had been rendered non-operational, devastating Gaza’s fishing industry and increasing Palestinian dependence on foreign aid.
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View full threadOur new report documents the port’s destruction, the latest chapter in a decades-long history of violent Israeli siege of Gaza’s sea space. Full report: content.forensic-architecture.org/wp-content/u...
- Israel’s widespread attacks on the fishing and agricultural sectors, combined with the repeated targeting of foreign aid, has had a compounding effect, driving mass food scarcity and famine. Our findings: forensic-architecture.org/investigatio...
- FA was commissioned to evidence the destruction of two fishing vessels belonging to the Al-Hassi family. We established a timeline of Israeli attacks on the port’s sea wall and the vessels docked there. Read the investigation: forensic-architecture.org/investigatio...
- 'Oil giant Marathon Petroleum is fighting an expanded class action lawsuit fueled by an investigation by the Guardian and Forensic Architecture, which examined a massive toxic blaze at the company’s sprawling refinery in south-west Louisiana in 2023', @theguardian.com reports today
- Guardian investigation fuels class action lawsuit against petro giant, Marathon Petroleum By my & @sarasneath.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
