WAR STORY

War Story: 
Serving in Afghanistan
Imperial War Museum

Walking into the exhibition space you immediately get taken back by the array of photographs lined up along the outside of the walls. The powerful and striking portraits of the men and women serving in Afghanistan hit you in the face like you've just witnessed what they experience day to day. The project features interactive displays and photographs which demonstrate the soldiers first hand experiences of the conflict for present and future generations. (Information taken and available from The Imperial War Museum Website)

The idea is for people to get a chance to discover the compelling stories of the individuals and witness the collected material for the first time being put on public display. Most of the artefacts, videos and photographs are described and explained in the words and voices of those that that wore, used or created them.

Over 40 life size portraits feature in this exhibition which were taken and produced by Richard Ash and Damon Clearly. (Visit Richard Ash's website) Over 500 individuals were photographed for this project and it tells a compelling story through the eyes of many.

The process appears quite systematic visually but also technically due to the clean white backgrounds, (usually) no berets or insignia identifying their units, composed and processed in the exact same way and the consistency and conformity has instead highlighted the variety and individuality.

The direct gaze into the lens towards the viewer is unsettling yet intriguing which makes you wonder about the nature of their experiences. You get a glimpse of the person behind the uniform.

I enjoyed getting up-close and personal with these portraits, as if you were stood face to face in person with them, you can see every inch of detail in their faces, the lines, the worries and stress and emotions written all over. You feel a whole lot of sympathy with the brave and 

honorable soldiers.

"They are just like you or me. They are your brother, 

your dad, your sister, your best friend, your husband, 

your wife"- Richard Ash IWMP