» from tail to tooth «
for tenor saxophone, viola, electronics and video
2021

"in the months and years following the attacks of 9/11, U.S. military and special forces conducted raids and operations to capture individuals with suspected ties to al-qaeda and allied organizations in their ongoing war on terror. many of them became detainees in secret military prisons outside of U.S. territory, where they were tortured brutally, though very schematically, following the procedure of so-called 'enhanced interrogation techniques'. these tactics included waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation and beatings.
one of the largest of these detention facilities is guantanamo bay, cuba. among the prisoners held there is a man called abu zubaydah. during his time in a militant islamist training camp, he was critically injured in the skull by shrepnel. sources differ as to what his medical conditions entail. what seems consistent among most reports are frequent seizures and other neurological conditions, as well as delusion, dissociation and schizophrenia.
he was captured by the U.S. in february of 2002. he has reportedly been waterboarded at least 82 times. according to certain sources, he has slipped into states of delirium during interrogations, starting to relate the plots of hollywood movies such as 'godzilla' to the interrogators.
at the time of writing (october of 2021), zubaydah is still held at guantanamo bay. the U.S. sees him as a valuable source of information.
this piece is concerned with the construction of information in the age of torture and counter-terrorism."