I have commented generally elsewhere on my visit to the Visa Pour L'Image 2013 (cedricsherwoodap.blogspot.co.uk) and in this blog I want to comment on the exhibition of Don McCullin's work.
Probably the most famous of war photographer's Don McCullin's work places him in virtually every conflict across the globe. In the exhibition catalogue (McCullin C (2013). Visa Pour L'Image Perpignan) we read that he chose to experience war through a spirit of adventure but that this later turned to anger and an abhorrence of war. He wished to expose the horror and thereby to bring a halt to the terror and death. The irony is, of course, that the history of his career demonstrates, more clearly than possibly in any other way, that photographs, no matter how horrific or poignant, will not stop war or indeed conflict.
The status of McCullin was underlined by the whole of the space in the Eglise Des Dominicains being devoted to his work so we were able to see examples of the wide range of his work. Wandering around was like a journey through much of my adult life both from stories near home to remembered conflicts across the globe. To choose a couple of images from this selection was difficult but amongst many two images struck strong emotions within me. The first is an image of three American soldiers in Vietnam. Two colleagues are holding a third who has been seriously injured. They are surrounded by the detritus of war and for me the shot sums up the whole futility of war and the price paid by ordinary individuals for decisions taken by politicians of their Country. One could question the technical elements of the photograph but there is a sense of immediacy, of a shot grabbed in a difficult situation. The Vietnam War seemed constantly in our newspapers and televisions so that paradoxically it became unreal. It was as though one was watching a docudrama and that the actors in some way got up after the shot was taken and removed their make-up. For our mental health we have to compartmentalise the horror, to lessen the impact. The sheer volume of reportage helps us to do this by numbing our sensitivities to the reality.
The second photograph is of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The use of the term 'Troubles' lessens the reality of what essentially was armed conflict fought on both sides with a bloody disregard for human life. In the image we see a squad of armed soldiers about to charge a group of youths. The youths are not in the picture and we only know of their existence through the information we are provided with in the caption. We do not know if the youths are armed, throwing stones or simply jeering the soldiers and yet the soldiers are fully kitted out and some are carrying lethal weapons. The photograph is a perfect example of the 'decisive moment' as the soldiers have just broken into a run and it is clear that they are now totally committed to their task - there is no going back and retreat is not an option.
As with the Vietnam War the constant flow of reportage numbed our senses to the reality of what was happening. No matter what the horror perpetrated it was noted and then we passed on. In part this was because of censorship either through selection by the photographer in what he chose to shoot or by picture editors deciding upon what to include or exclude. I was 'fortunate' enough to be at a conference discussing the need for measures to reduce the risks associated with car and parcel bombs and the presenters felt that we should be faced with the reality of what actually occurred when a car bomb exploded. I will never be able to remove the images from my mind and they are brought back every time I hear the words 'Northern Ireland".
I am a great admirer of McCullin's work recognising the courage that it took to get the photographs but also the skill and awareness that gave us so many striking images. However it was his choice. To imagine that his work would in some way make a difference may have been a motivation but one wonders how long it took him to come to the conclusion that it was all a waste of time.
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