Buffalo Infringement Festival Buffalo Infringement Festival
We Areby Chris Bettencourt
 Too many war memorials highlight the soldier, instead of the person. Now, more than ever, due to the heavy use of reserve forces, the men and women dying had no intention of being remembered with a rank next to their name. We Are is a non-traditional war memorial installation to honor the coalition forces fighting in Iraq. Small, postage stamp sized entries will contain one black and white image of the deceased, along with his or her name. No rank, age, hometown, or date of death will be provided. There will be one entry for every member of the allied forces recorded as killed in combat. These entries will be adhered to surfaces along the streets claimed by Infringement. his memorial, like the conflict itself, would be ongoing. New entries will be added as casualties are reported. This illusion of real-time creation reminds us that the problem is a current one, and steps still need to be taken to stop the death. The entries will be scattered throughout the area reserved for Infringement, and will remain there for the festival’s duration. They can be found on the windows of clubs and on parking meters and walls and trees. Just as the people depicted were individuals with preferences, loves and hates, the entries themselves will not be limited by the confines of one wall or structure. This also forces us to live with these memories. They are all around us, and therefore, a part of our lives. We can not visit a single grouping, and then put the experience behind us.
Dates
|