War discussed through images

A full house gathered Friday evening to listen to a panel discussion examining the "Killer Shots: A Photographic Response to War" exhibit currently on display at the SoFA Gallery. The gallery is a collection of 36 original photographs of the most famous and stunning pictures taken by professional photojournalist during times of modern conflict. \nCatherine Edelman is the director of the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago and the organizer of the "Killer Shots" show. She decided to plan the exhibit out of her concern about the United States' decision to invade Iraq. \n"I decided to use the gallery to put together a show of images from the Vietnam War forward that I felt were very powerful and that showed the horror of war," Edelman said. "I set out to find images that were both compelling artistically and revealed a narrative that helps people understand that there are responsibilities and consequences in war."\nShe said she was disappointed at the inaction of people in the art world who where upset at the war, and so she decided to create the gallery to express her opinion.\nEdelman, IU journalism professor Claude Cookman and communication and culture professor John Lucaites participated in the panel moderated by photography professor Jeffrey Wolin. The discussion centered on issues involving the nature of photojournalism in times of conflict and the role images -- such as the ones in the exhibit -- have on society and the impact they have had on particular conflicts. \nMany of the images in the gallery are very graphic, yet there is more to them than the shock value of situation. One example is a photo with post card scenery of a tropical beach shore juxtaposed with a seemingly out of place ravaged carcass.\nThe panel discussed where the line between art and information is drawn and whether such a distinction exists. \n"There is an incredible attraction we have for war," Lucaites said. "As much as war can be horrifying and repulsive, there is also a something incredibly exciting about it that draws us to it." \nGraduate student Chris Booker attended the event and said he was most moved by the photograph of the shoes of a dead Iraqi soldier. \n"I've always had an interest in photography and the recording of wars in particular," Booker said. "It is interesting to hear about some of the history of war photography, especially in contrast to the way things are portrayed now in the second Gulf war."\nSophomore Catelyn Bergstedt said she found many of the photographs very stirring. \n"They make you realize how much war affects not just soldiers but society and people," she said.\nLuscaites said he was happy students had the opportunity to attend the event. \n"If a university education should be worth anything, it should cause people to reflect on the world around them in more complex ways," Luscaites said. "A show like this not only invites but almost dictates that you do that." \n-- Contact staff writer Rami Chami at rchami@indiana.edu.