Requiem: Enduring Afghanistan
Enduring Afghanistan commemorates the names of American soldiers who died in Afghanistan. Military ID tags, affixed to a piece of chain link fence suspended from the ceiling, present a topography of death: the tags are arranged in a metallic map of Afghanistan, their depth corresponding to the numbers and locations of soldiers’ deaths. The fence speaks of separation but is also reminiscent of the fence of Ground Zero, which was effectively re-purposed for memorializing practices. In front of it sits a ledger, displayed on a carved wooden Koran stand. The ledger presents a handwritten list of names of fallen soldiers, which takes the place of the Koran, suggesting that these names have become a new text to be revered. - Christina Schmid, PhD
