From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 Palms

This paper focuses on two of the three photographic projects included in An-My Lê’s Small Wars (2005). The first one, Small Wars (1999–2002) represents Vietnam War reenactors staging combat in the Virginian forest. In the second project, 29 Palms (2003–2004), Lê turns her camera on United States Mar...

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Main Author: Barbara Kowalczuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte" 2017-03-01
Series:Sillages Critiques
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/4861
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author Barbara Kowalczuk
author_facet Barbara Kowalczuk
author_sort Barbara Kowalczuk
collection DOAJ
description This paper focuses on two of the three photographic projects included in An-My Lê’s Small Wars (2005). The first one, Small Wars (1999–2002) represents Vietnam War reenactors staging combat in the Virginian forest. In the second project, 29 Palms (2003–2004), Lê turns her camera on United States Marines preparing for deployment in Iraq in the California desert. In the series, warfare is either reenacted or rehearsed without the violent outcome of combat being tangibly represented. However, the spectrality of past and impending violence permeates the photographs and confirms the haunting legacy of war iconography. We will examine how Lê uses the American landscape and creates images haunted by the invisible visibility of violence.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1272-3819
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language English
publishDate 2017-03-01
publisher Centre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte"
record_format Article
series Sillages Critiques
spelling doaj-art-c82d73c17f5c4e0eb7b38ac4974c0f142025-01-30T13:47:56ZengCentre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte"Sillages Critiques1272-38191969-63022017-03-012210.4000/sillagescritiques.4861From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 PalmsBarbara KowalczukThis paper focuses on two of the three photographic projects included in An-My Lê’s Small Wars (2005). The first one, Small Wars (1999–2002) represents Vietnam War reenactors staging combat in the Virginian forest. In the second project, 29 Palms (2003–2004), Lê turns her camera on United States Marines preparing for deployment in Iraq in the California desert. In the series, warfare is either reenacted or rehearsed without the violent outcome of combat being tangibly represented. However, the spectrality of past and impending violence permeates the photographs and confirms the haunting legacy of war iconography. We will examine how Lê uses the American landscape and creates images haunted by the invisible visibility of violence.https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/4861An-My LêVietnam WarIraq WarAfghanistan Warspectralitylandscape photography
spellingShingle Barbara Kowalczuk
From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 Palms
Sillages Critiques
An-My Lê
Vietnam War
Iraq War
Afghanistan War
spectrality
landscape photography
title From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 Palms
title_full From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 Palms
title_fullStr From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 Palms
title_full_unstemmed From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 Palms
title_short From Vietnam, VA, to Iraq, CA: The Spectrality of Violence in An-My Lê’s Small Wars and 29 Palms
title_sort from vietnam va to iraq ca the spectrality of violence in an my le s small wars and 29 palms
topic An-My Lê
Vietnam War
Iraq War
Afghanistan War
spectrality
landscape photography
url https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/4861
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