The World Won’t Listen

Summary

British artist Phil Collins has made work in conflicted geopolitical sites around the world, including Baghdad, Belfast, Bogotá, and Ramallah, creating nuanced representations of people and places. In a departure from many documentaries and site-specific practice, Collins engages politics and pop culture in tandem, often soliciting the participation of the communities in which he works. His video installation Dünya Dinlemiyor (Turkish for "the world won't listen") features young people in Istanbul performing karaoke versions of songs by the 1980s band The Smiths. Within the politically fraught context of Istanbul, The Smiths' melancholic pop takes on new poignancy, asking us to listen to what the rest of the world won't. Collins was a nominee for the 2006 Turner Prize.