Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Term 2 - Week 3 - Digital Technology 2 - Richard Mosse Research and Exercise

Richard M. Moose

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard M. Moose (February 27 1932 - September 25 2015)[1]
Born February 27, 1932 in Arkansas Moose began work as a Foreign Service Officer in 1956, with stints in Mexico and Cameroun. He worked on the National Security Council as staff secretary until 1970. He then worked on the staff of J. William Fulbright's Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was appointed by President Carter as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 1977 until 1981.[2] Following some years in executive positions with Shearson Lehman and American Express, he returned to government service as Under Secretary of State for Management under President Clinton. He resigned from this position in August 1996.[3]
Using an extinct type of infrared military film, Irish photojournalist and artist Richard Mosse documents the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo, where 5.4 million people have died since 1998 as a result of the conflict. The eastern part of the country remains plagued by violence as rebel groups continue to operate there. In The Enclave, which represented Ireland at the 2013 Venice Biennale, Mosse documents a ghostly psychedelic landscape blighted by human tragedy in Congo. 


Richard Mosse, Weeping Song, 2012. Digital c-print. © Richard Mosse



Richard Mosse, If I Ran the Zoo, North Kivu, eastern Congo, 2012 (2012). Photo: ©Richard Mosse. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.




What genre/s does Richard Mosse’s ‘The Enclave’ fit into? 
Work of art and documentary. Fine art  

What is the history that relates to this project? Documents the war ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo, where 5.4 million people have died since 1998 as a result of the conflict. 

Is there anything in his own history that influences this work? 
Yes

Why did he choose to use the Kodak infared film for the project? 
He would like to watch it. 

How does the use of this film fit into the documentary genre? 
He would put it on to his desktop. 

How many times has he been to the Eastern Congo for this project? 
Seven or eight times.  

Why do you think he has been back so many times?  
He had seven or eight flights. 

What justification does he have for creating such beautiful images to represent such horrific events? 
Nice justification. 

Why would he be criticized for this? 
Because he would be interested in this. 

How does this differ from other war photographs you have seen?  
So I've seen photographs of war at a few places. 

His images look quite beautiful. 

Situation is not very nice for anyone. 

These are photos I'm using for comparing war photos with Richard Mosses. 



World War II began 75 years ago today with Germany's invasion of Poland. A few years back, Alan Taylor did a 20-part photographic retrospective of the war ...









French soldiers under General Gouraud, with machine guns amongst the ruins of a cathedral near the Marne, 1918.
Group discussion – notes from questions:
What genre/s does Richard Mosse’s “The Enclave” fit into
  • Documentary, Fine Art
What is the history?
Richard Mosse documents the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo
A war in the eastern Congo, that is not widely reported and is still going on.  A movie to view is Virongo National Park
Is there anything in his own history that influences this work?
He grew up in a time of religious wars between Catholics and Protestants.  His religion is quacker.  
What did he shoot on?
He shot in 16mm Kodak infra red fill.  Also shot on a large format camera and steady cam.
Why did he use that film?
  • He talks about how the film sees things differently to the naked eye.  It can see the hidden, he is trying to show something that is hidden
How many times did he go back?
  • He went back 7 or 8 times
  • He talks about the displaced people and made friends with solider and followed them around
What justification does he have for creating such beautiful images?


  • It’s a way to slow people down and take stock of what is happening
  • Looking at War from a different perspective


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