AS A child growing up in Argentina in the 1980s, Lola Arias’ early years were dominated by one issue, one point of conflict: the fight for the Malvinas; or, what we Brits know as, the Falklands.

In 1982, conscripts from her own country were assigned to retake the collection of islands in the South Atlantic.

Within days, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher responded by dispatching a UK task force.

74 days of fighting later, nearly 1,000 people had died before the Union Jack was hoisted back above the Falklands’ capital Port Stanley.

More than 30 years on, for those of us living in the UK it remains an active but not explosive issue.

But in Argentina, it’s not gone away.

Speaking from her studio in Buenos Aires, Lola said: “For us Argentinians it’s a big topic.

“Growing up we had to learn the word Malvinas, we learned all about it, we had songs that we were taught. The theme was that this is ours and we have to get it back.”

It’s this starting point that forms the backdrop to Minefield.

In true Lola style, she picks a big theme and uses memories from those involved to, in her own words, “open up a space of reflection”.

In this case, it’s pitching the thoughts of three British soldiers against thee conscripts from her own country in an examination of war and the impact it has on those involved.

It will be presented as part film, part re-enactment and part documentary theatre in a two-hour show at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange.

“They all have a lot of memories: some of them are very sad and very hard to hear, but also they have a lot of funny stories about the absurdity of war.

“War is very complex, many extreme things happen that are very dynamic; that’s what we were looking for.”

The main focus of the show will be on the six veterans who were carefully selected by Lola after three years of research.

All of them now have new careers and a barely recognisable from those days in Spring 1982 when the two countries clashed.

More than 30 years on, Lola has brought the former enemies together, in person, in a Buenos Aires warehouse.

The aim is to create a show verging on a social experiment which blurs reality and fiction to tell one single story.

As Lola admits, they are not only the protagonists, but the soldiers will also perform the role of the technicians, the extras and, at one point, they will perform as a band.

“To reconstruct the war now with people who are 50-something it's a very odd idea and a very crazy idea”,she admits.

“What I think is interesting about the war is that it didn't finish.

“It was war that happened but the conflict is still happening now, not only in the minds of people that were there but, it is still present in the minds of the everyone who lived through it.

“All of them [the veterans] are so used to telling these stories I wanted to explore how these stories and ideas came to be.”

Work started on the project back in 2013 when the documentary filmmaker created a piece for Leeds Festival which featured interviews with 40 Argentinian veterans.

It was a year later when she did a similar work in Battersea that Lola thought of comparing these with the memories of British soldiers.

The work has similarities to The Year I Was Born, a work presented in the 2013 Brighton Festival which featured 11 performers telling their parents’ stories of life during the dictatorship of Pinochet in Chile.

Rather than musicians and actors though, this time round Lola is working with former soldiers.

When asked about the difference, she laughs - ”they are very fun to work with, they are very good at following orders”.

Lola also falls back on this idea of a social experiment, of creating a unifying piece with two groups of people who are from different cultures, speak different languages and were former enemies.

She said: “It’s been interesting to see them understand what theatre is.

“The Brits understand it as form of military training. That it is all about imaging situations and performing them before you really have to do them.

“They understand the need to rehearse and repeat actions and movements; the difference is that it's not war but theatre.”

Minefield 

Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, New Road

Sun, May 28, 8pm, Sat, May 29, 2pm and 7pm, from £15.