Halsey Contrasts Two Realities from War Front

Halsey Contrasts Two Realities from War Front
By Kristen Gehrman

C of C’s Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art bustled with patrons Friday night, Jan. 23, for the opening of War on Terror: Inside/Out. A collection of photographs by Christopher Sims and Stacy Pearsall, the exhibit documents two contrasting realities of the present War on Terror.

The first floor of the gallery showcases the work of Duke University professor Christopher Sims. As spectators made the first round through his photographs, they expressed shock and surprise at the surreal war images of guts coiling from stomachs and artificially red blood on the ground. Whether they read the artist statement or came to the conclusion themselves, it did not take long for the onlookers to deduce that the images were not in fact from the Middle Eastern warfront.

Sims began his work at Talatha, Braggistan, a fictitious “Iraqi” village located deep in the woods of North Carolina in 2005. Constructed specifically for the purpose of war simulation for military training, the village employs actors to live and work on the site as if they were citizens of an Iraqi village.

“The characters are all given names, roles and motivations,” said Halsey student intern Sarah Rose Armstrong. “There are 16 of these simulated towns around the country and over 1,000 people working at one time.”

Along with those playing the roles of Iraqi café owners, grocers, single mothers, religious leaders, radicals and violent insurgents, Sims himself plays the role of an international media photographer. His photographs attempt to capture both the reality and irony of the War on Terror by revealing the morbid allure of the simulation game.

“The designers and inhabitants of these worlds take great pride in the scope and fidelity of their wars-in-miniature,” says Sims in his published artist statement. “By day's end, hundreds of soldiers and civilians lay ‘dead.’”

“It’s very alternate universe,” said Rebecca Silberman, Program Coordinator for the Halsey. “I’m really pleased with the juxtopositioning of the two artists and thrilled with the turnout tonight.”

On the second floor of the gallery, Stacy Pearsall contrasts Sims with her authentic warfront photographs taken during ten years of service as an Air Force photographer. Today, she is retired from the military and works as a freelance photographer and director of the Charleston Center for Photography.

“For the past 12 years, I have witnessed the depredations of war and immeasurable kindness of humanity,” says Pearsall in her artist statement. “I will continue to use my vessel of expression in the hopes that I can do my part in bringing about change for the future.”

The sharp colors and in-the-moment scenes depicted in her photographs hushed the gallery with reverence for a reality from which the United States has been far removed.

“It kind of just gives you the chills,” said sophomore studio art major Shannon Smith. “They’re beautiful shots; the prints themselves are just amazing.”

Sophomore Megan Gamwell agreed. “It’s weird to say they’re beautiful when it’s such a dark image, but she uses really great lighting, quality and color.”

Pearsall’s photographs ranged from shadows of U.S. military patrols amongst locals on urban streets to the instantaneous explosions of mosques and bloody remains of combat.

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody over there,” said junior Lizzie Scruggs.

The juxtaposition between Sims and Pearsall’s work makes a statement both to and from the College of Charleston community. In light of the recent inauguration of President Obama, both the exhibit and response of the Charleston art community seem to rebuke a war that has gone on for too long.

“We are so far from violence here, all we know is what we see on TV,” said C of C art instructor Jarod Charzewski. “It’s pretty shocking. Just because one is a simulation doesn’t mean it’s not real. What we have here is a contrast between two realities.”