Rendition

Rendition is a potent and immersive installation which uses detailed, up-to-the-minute academic research findings from The Rendition Project to tell the story of one man’s nightmare experience as the first suspect to be taken into the CIA’s detention programme.

Freda O’Byrne, artistic director and sole performer, uses an innovative mix of puppetry, film, soundscapes and theatre to visualise the human rights violations committed by US and UK governments in the aftermath of 9/11 – and explores the juxtaposition between extreme vulnerability and absolute power.

The set takes the form of an installation within which the action takes place and the audience experiences the work. This adds an element of closeness and potency to the audience experience. The audience is invited to explore the installation before the performance and then to linger afterwards to take in the experience, ask questions or move on if they so wish.

The Rendition Project is a unique collaboration between academics and human rights proponents, which researches the involvement of the US and its allies in human rights violations in the aftermath of 9/11. With information on detainees, the global network of detention facilities and more than 11,000 so-called ‘rendition flights’, at its core the project holds governments to account for their actions, whilst representing the victims of their abuses. Rendition uses these detailed research findings to tell the story of one man’s nightmare experience and shines a light on the collusion between the CIA and the British Government.