Let's not Sleep

Let’s Not Sleep is a large-scale anti-war installation composed of 13 beds and spent bullet casings, presented at Hvitsten Salong in Norway in August 2026. The work transforms the bed—a place associated with rest, intimacy, protection, and safety—into a space marked by violence, fear, and vulnerability.

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The installation reflects on two forms of violence that can suddenly enter the space of sleep: the violence of war and the violence committed against women within patriarchal societies. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, documented cases indicate that, on average, a woman is murdered approximately every five days. These figures represent only the cases that are reported and documented, while many others may remain hidden or unrecorded. Let’s Not Sleep particularly confronts so-called “honor” killings and the disturbing reality that violence against women can take place within the home, even in the bed—a space that should represent safety.

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The beds themselves carry another layer of collective participation. One month before creating the installation, I published an open call inviting people to donate pieces of their beds—mattresses, pillows, blankets, sheets, and other objects connected to sleep and rest. The materials collected throughl were brought together to create the 13 sleeping spaces that formed this first version of the installation. By combining these personal, intimate objects with spent bullet casings, the work creates a tension between softness and violence, safety and threat, sleep and sudden awakening.

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The work also reflects on people living through war and political violence, where sleep can be interrupted by gunfire, explosions, raids, and uncertainty. In this context, the bed is no longer separated from the violence outside; the instability of the political world enters the most private space of everyday life.

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I am grateful to Hvitsten Salong for selecting me to present this work and for providing the space for this early version of Let’s Not Sleep to come to life. I also thank Safemuse for their support throughout the production process and for making it possible for me to develop the work during my residency in Norway. My sincere thanks also go to everyone who responded to the open call and donated pieces of their beds, becoming part of the work itself.

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Documentation of the installation by Bnwar Abdulrahman.