A map of terrorism.

Why make a map of terrorism ?

It is unclear to many people exactly what terrorism is and which 
activities are now unsafe in the United Kingdom (UK) in terms of getting 
into trouble with the police.

Making a map is often a prelude to colonisation and control. I have 
recently been under investigation and detention by the UK police for 
terrorism related offences. This case was fabricated by the Sussex 
police force, probably an attempt to frighten and probe me. My response 
to this, instead of seeking public sympathy and support, was to 
consolidate my existing links with national cultural institutions. 
Hence my proposal to make this map of terrorism, in context of an 
invitation for a new commission for Tate. This strategy resulted in me
still being under state surveillance, but no longer facing Her Majesty's (HM) 
detention.

How to make a map of terrorism.

My intention for this map was to find the borderline between 'the 
everyday', embodied by 'the high street' and the global terror fantastic.

If goods and services are extended to people globally, we can expect 
feedback in return. If these goods and services are marketed by force, as 
for example in Iraq, then we can expect violent customer returns. 

Important words to consider for mapping terrorism and the market are both 
reach and crossover. I have been thinking that perhaps our asymmetric reach 
has extended too far and that the crossover of unequal cultures has gone too deep.

Only the criminally ignorant can act surprised when second generation 
immigrants become upset when their adopted national state starts to 
illegally bomb their grandparents back home. Perhaps terrorism has always 
been a violent response to inappropriate intimacy, similar to bullying.

What a map of terrorism can tell us.

This map is only a sketch, part of a long term project to map 'the System'. 
What it shows me at this stage though, is that the border between 'the High 
Street' and global terror runs through the Irish Troubles. Also, that 
the no man's land of global terrorism is terrorism merchandise: 
Hamas t-shirts purchasable on-line (it is illegal to wear one of these in 
public), anarchist cookbook available at public libraries (recent events show 
that it is illegal to be in possession of one of these if Muslim). There 
also seems to be a fast-track route to full system integration, linked via 
'able to provide current postal address': first step being 
an Her Majesty's(HM) prisoner.

In my research into identity, it has become apparent that institutional 
integration comes first to those who challenge convention.

Heath Bunting.

15 April 2008