Tuesday, March 31 was a busy day of programming for the Contemporary. Around noon, the Winnebago for Jeremy Deller’s project: It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq pulled up in front of the Vintage Vinyl record store in the Delmar Loop area—pulling behind it a wreckage of a car that was bombed in Baghdad in 2007. Visiting St. Louis were Artist Jeremy Deller who conceived of the project, Jonathan Harvey (an Iraq war veteran and recently demobilized Psychological Opera­tions platoon sergeant), and Esam Pasha (an Iraqi refugee, artist, and former translator for the Chief Advisor in the British Embassy of Baghdad). Also on the trip were Nato Thompson from Creative Time, Benjamin Brown (documentary extraordinaire) and Lonnie Cooper (road manager).  They provided a forum where they encouraged unrehearsed discussions about Iraq in a non partisan open atmosphere. It was great to see active soldiers currently serving our country engage in discussions about the present circumstance and the future of Iraq.  More can be read about on their excellent blog.

After being on the Loop at the Vintage Vinyl from 12–5 pm, the discussion continued at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis 6-8 pm. We also want to thank Matt Strauss of White Flag Projects who hosted the St. Louis style BBQ to feed our tired traveled visiting guests. We also owe much thanks to the unofficial mayor of the Loop Joe Edwards of Blueberry Hill for making this day go so smoothly.

Next Tuesday the sidewalk and street in front of Vintage Vinyl will host an important national event, where a renowned British artist and two experts on the subject of Iraq park their RV (and the remnants of a bombed-out car from Baghdad) for a day-long series of conversations with the public.

Jeremy Deller, a British artist and a winner of the Turner Prize (the most prestigious award for young artists in the UK), is embarking on a road trip across the country this week with two guests experts, in order to encourage an unmediated, unscripted, and nonpartisan public discussion about Iraq, its present circumstances, and our relationship to its people and as a nation.

Deller’s companions are Jonathan Harvey and Esam Pasha. Harvey is an Iraq war veteran and recently demobilized Psychological Operations platoon sergeant and Esam Pasha is an Iraqi refugee, artist and former translator for the Chief Advisor in the British Embassy of Baghdad.

For information on the project, please visit conversationsaboutiraq.com.  For information on the project in St. Louis, please click here. The project is presented by Creative Time, New York, and hosted in St. Louis by the Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis.