The House of Osama Bin Laden Book

Since the atrocity of September 11 2001, Osama bin Laden has attained a quasi-mythical status. Is he the evil mastermind of a global terror network, a media-savvy holy warrior, or simply a devil of our own creation? What kind of world gives rise to such a figure? In October 2002 Ben Langlands and Nikki Bell spent two weeks in Afghanistan as war artists researching the aftermath of September 11 and the war in Afghanistan for the Imperial War Museum in London. They visited a diverse range of locations, including Bagram, the main American air base, where General Franks was on a flying visit to see his troops; Bamyan, the site of the giant Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban; the Supreme Court in Kabul, where they attended and filmed the first capital trial since the fall of the Taliban and, after a long and difficult journey, the former home of Osama bin Laden at Daruntah. This book illustrates and documents the artists' journey to Afghanistan by means of their own photographs and diary entries, interspersed with the artworks made on their return to England, which have won them the BAFTA award for Interactive Arts Installation and a nomination for the 2004 Turner Prize.Read More