The A To Z Of Conflict

'The A to Z of Conflict' is a tri-lingual artists' book by ten contemporary artists. It imagines what a commonplace children's ABC book would look like if all the entries were chosen in relation to words about conflict, and words born out of conflict. The project uses English, Sinhala, and Tamil, the three languages spoken in Sri Lanka, a country torn apart by a brutal civil war. From afar the compendium of entries testifies to the way language defines us linguistically, socially, and politically. Up close it reveals how the complex workings of language have the potential to conjoin and divide us. Each copy of The A to Z of Conflict is bound in one of six combinations, reflecting how three languages can be positioned without giving one language greater status over the other.