“Patterns of Life” reflects on the experiences of three individuals whose homes were destroyed by domicide—the widespread and systematic destruction of housing due to military conflict, urban development, or social upheaval.
Mona Chalabi and SITU Research, Installation of “Patterns of Life” in Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
Domicide is currently under review by the United Nations for potential recognition as a crime under international law.
Advancements in military technology have reshaped conflict in the 21st century. The ability to strike from unprecedented distances has made militaries increasingly reliant on remote surveillance to distinguish between targets and “patterns of life.” Although these tools and methods are employed to identify the enclaves of bad actors, such as terrorists, interpreting this information from afar can also mistake the routines of civilian domestic life as threats.
To better understand the personal, architectural, and cultural impact of domicide, data journalist Mona Chalabi (Born 1987, London, United Kingdom; active Brooklyn, New York) and visual investigations practice SITU Research (Established 2005, Brooklyn, New York) documented homes destroyed by weapons manufactured in the US during airstrikes in Iraq (2015), Syria (2016), and Palestine (2023). In collaboration with the affected residents, the architectural models displayed here show the homes of Basim’s family in Mosul, Iraq; Osman and his wife in Manbij, Syria; and X and her son in Gaza, Palestine. Through detailed representations of heirlooms, books, toys, and domestic objects, the models celebrate the intimate lives within these homes.
Accompanied by panoramic landscape illustrations, the images reveal the scale of destruction on both cities and individuals. The installation highlights the broader effects of losing shelter and community as well as the personal experiences of those displaced and lives lost. “Patterns of Life” illuminates the complex role of the US in this issue, as it stands as the leading financial contributor to United Nations peacekeeping initiatives, but also the world’s largest producer of arms.
SITU Research team Gauri Bahuguna, Martina Duque Gonzalez, Sam Rabiyah, Frederick Rapp, Bradley Samuels, and Candice Strongwater.
Special thanks to Rami Alafandi, Feurat Alani, Najib Aminy, Benjamin Aranda, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Brian Castner, Omar Al-Dewachi, Anand Gopal, Anette Millington, Joanna Naples-Mitchell, Hussein Mohammad Samawi, Dr. Naam Riyad-Dent, and Paulo Irani.