MEATPACKING DISTRICT — Award-winning poet and MacArthur Genius Anne Carson will read a poem called "Lecture of the History of Skywriting" at the Whitney Museum this weekend in connection with the Laura Poitras "Astro Noise" exhibition.
The exhibit by Poitras, best known for being the documentary filmmaker who helped reveal Edward Snowden's documents to the world, features imagery of drones and air strikes, as well as themes of mass surveillance, torture and the war on terror.
Carson's piece is told from the perspective of the sky, according to the museum. It will be partly translated into Arabic.
Carson will also engage in a conversation with Faisal bin Ali Jaber, a Yemeni engineer whose brother-in-law and nephew were killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2012. Video of the strike is part of Poitras' exhibition.
The event is co-organized by the museum and human rights organization Reprieve US, which provides legal representation for civilians affected by drone strikes. Carson and bin Ali Jaber's conversation will be moderated by Cori Crider, a lawyer from the organization.
Tickets to the event cost $15 for adults and $12 for members, students and seniors. It begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 17.
'Lecture on the History of Skywriting,' Anne Carson and Faisal bin Ali Jaber. Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort St., in the third floor Susan and John Hess Family Theater. April 17, 7 p.m. Tickets $15 for adults, $12 for members, students and seniors.
