"Nonstop imagery is our surround, but when it comes to remembering, the photograph has the deeper bite....
In an era of information overload, the photograph..is like a quotation, or a maxim or proverb."
(Susan Sontag: Regarding the Pain of Others 2003)

18 March, 2008

Broomfield's Battle for Haditha & Images of Iraq

Last night, watched the TV premiere of Nick Broomfield's Battle for Haditha, a dramatisation of the events surrounding a still unexplained revenge massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005. Thought-provoking, if flawed in places, it remains a valuable addition to the growing body of work now slowly emerging, which attempts to put the invasion of Iraq and its woeful aftermath into some kind of context. Images from Iraq (such as the notorious torture shots from Abu Ghraib prison - which I considered using for this post but found myself unable to do so) have formed a powerful part of the case both for and against the War itself. With passing time & enhanced perspective other artists, film makers & photographers will hopefully be able to emulate Broomfield's laudable attempts to make sense of the 21st century's defining conflict.