Iraq car wreckage goes on display at Imperial War Museum

A rusting, crumpled car was today placed in the main atrium of the Imperial War Museum in London surrounded by some of the most powerful military hardware of the last 100 years. It's message was simple – this is what war does.

Called simply 5 March 2007, the car is a piece by artist Jeremy Deller. Before it was salvaged, the vehicle was mangled in a street bombing that killed 38 people and wounded many more at Baghdad's Al-Mutanabbi book market, a place at the heart of the city's cultural and intellectual life. No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The museum hopes the car will serve as a sobering reminder of the impact of war on civilians. Deller said he could not think of a better home for it in the UK: "I'm very happy that the Imperial War Museum has taken this object into its collections and is putting it on such prominent display."

Diane Lees, the museum's director-general, said: "It's a privilege to work with an artist like Jeremy Deller and we are incredibly grateful for the insight and effort he's invested in the acquisition and installation of this remarkable exhibit.

"We hope it will prove a thought-provoking addition to our permanent collections and encourage visitors to consider not just this car, but all our exhibits, in a new light." The car will go on display at IWM North in Manchester in April. It was donated by the New Museum in New York, where it was part of Deller's It Is What It Is project.

Deller, who won the Turner prize in 2004, is perhaps best known for recreating the battle of Orgreave from the miners' strike. The car was beaten for a place on the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square by Antony Gormley's One and Other idea, in which members of the public occupied it for an hour at a time.