Krzysztof Wodiczko...OUT OF HERE: The Veterans Project

Impacting both the soldiers who participate in war and those civilians who occupy the spaces of conflict, Krzysztof Wodiczko's video and sound installation at the ICA Boston imparts a flood of emotion. At the same time Wodiczko's work prompts questions of how uncertain our understanding really is of our own perceptions of war. Running until March 28, 2010, OUT OF HERE demonstrates Wodiczko's sensibility to the personal and political aspects of conflict and how these events have a greater global impact.

"...OUT OF HERE: The Veterans Project," installation view, 2009.

Upon entering the installation, the viewers visual and auditory senses are immediately bombarded, which creates a feeling of disorientation. In a large darkened room a horizontal strip of projected warehouse-like industrial windows borders the top portion of three walls. Screams of horror, smashing glass, gunfire, and dialogue from men, women and children in various languages infiltrates the space, at times collectively, while simultaneously several of the windows are smashed and the projected images shake. The viewer only sees a strip of sky passing above. For the viewer, this produces a feeling of confusion and reinforces the notion of our obvious disassociation with the realities of conflict. Often we deal with situations that are absolute; there is either war and destruction taking place or there are civilians going about their daily routines. We tend to ignore the reality that exists in other locations, which is that countries of conflict are also civilian communities. This horrifying fact took place for us here in the U.S. with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. For many of those who fight or live in countries of conflict this is an everyday occurrence in which people must adapt their lives to constant bombing attacks, military raids, and the social and political upheaval of war.

In Wodiczko's installation the viewer is given the opportunity to experience a portion of the atmosphere of civilians and military personnel, whom he denotes both as veterans. This is intended to have people recognize the situations taking place in the world but at the same time to be confronted with what is unknown to us. The confusion created by the disorienting space, and auditory barrage, emphasizes the uncertainty of our own perspectives on conflict situations.

Guests, 2009, video installation, 17.17 minutes. Polish Pavilion, 53rd Venice Art Biennial

Wodiczko is best known over the last three decades for his large-scale projects both on architectural facades and as installations. He confronts the viewer with the social, political, economic, and emotional responses of major circumstances. OUT OF HERE, like Wodiczko's installation Guest for the Polish Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Art Biennial points to our responses to the visual virtual space coupled with real dialogue involving human hardships. Guest highlighted intimate audible stories shared by blurred bodies of immigrants projected onto a room to create a virtual niche, made to feel as though the viewer were on the outside looking in, eaves dropping on personal conversations. OUT OF HERE simulates the viewer to have a sensation of being on the inside looking out, a disorienting space that now promotes reciprocal dialogue. The sensation is truly heart stopping. Such a visually simple space made so real by the complexity of intertwining human voices, indeed forcing the viewer to grapple with their own conceptions of war and conflict.