A photo of 2 illuminated, triangular bollards with text in a foreign language. The one on the elft is placed in lateral view and the one on the right is placed in front view. The background is pitch dark.

“The set of illuminated bollards is representative of the reordering of cities for ‘protection’; repositioning and reconceptualizing their purpose and function. The text chosen evokes emotive responses and questions the terminology and often racialised nature of the legislation.”

Terrorist violence is ubiquitous, we hear and read about it daily in the media and so are encouraged to think about it constantly, some of us have been directly affected and in urban environments, we are all potential targets. How are we to respond to this ‘substantial’ threat?

Often the solution offered is more surveillance, more concrete bollards, and barriers, and more counter-terrorism measures. Like many cities, Birmingham has responded to the terrorist threat with a range of urban counter-terrorism architectures and preventive security measures.

Some of these are highly visible, for example, steel and concrete barriers in the city centre, others less so, for example, community engagement that seeks to ‘prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’.

Faisal Hussain, about the barriers that he created as part of the project ‘It may be nothing, but it could be something’. Source: https://www.faisalhussain.com/works/it-may-be-nothing-but-it-could-be-something/.

A photo presents a close-up view of 3 rows of cupcakes with 3 to 4 in each and of various shades. They have an edible, circular signage on top that reads, Prevent.

Prevent Cakes

2017 | Eggs; Flour; Sugar; Distaste; Icing

The ‘Prevent’ strategy offers money for ‘anti-radicalisation’ programmes promoting ‘British Values’, which raised suspicion of a 3-year-old child for drawing a picture. One of the four governmental counter-terrorism strategies; teachers have accused ‘Prevent’ of stigmatising Muslim pupils and human rights groups have said that it ‘foments resentment’ within Muslim communities. Symbolic of the strategy’s positive facade but harmful core, ‘Prevent Cakes’ are a seemingly generous offer as luring promotional materials often are, but whose presentation disguises an inedible acrid taste.

Faisal Hussain is a British artist. His work has been shown at the Royal Academy London, Urban Nation Berlin, Birmingham Museums, SOAS, and numerous public spaces in the UK. He has spoken at the Museum of Immigration in Paris and the CPDP, Brussels, and many UK universities about his practice. Photograph by Faisal Hussain.