Though I wasn’t that impressed with everything being shown, there was one instillation that really stuck with me. American Servicemen and Women Who Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan took up three huge walls of one of the gallery rooms, the whole piece spanning 40 meters. The installation is comprised of 5,213 tiny drawings of soldiers who have died in action since 2004, acting as both a tribute and a record. The artist Emily Prince was inspired by a website where families post photos of those they have lost, which she visits weekly and makes drawings for every update. The paper colour represents the soldiers’ ethnic origin, and personal details are given on each card (name, age, country of origin). If there was no picture uploaded, Emily leaves the square blank except for the personal details.
What I really got out of this piece was they way it gave each and every solider an identity. Suddenly they became more than just statistics of those lost in war; Prince has captured each person’s individuality in a tiny box, reminding us that these people have families and are mourned and cherished as individuals.
Emily Prince has stated that this project will not be complete until American involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan ends. Since it began, 2,100 drawings have been added (obviously they cannot all fit in the gallery room, but are encased in bound books and boxes on display).
Emily Prince online: http://www.alloftheamericanservicemenandwomen.com
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