Debi Cornwall
Debi Cornwall
Necessary Fictions
Hardcover
9 x 12 inches
324 pages
105 images
Radius Books
2020
From the artist:
What are the stories we tell ourselves, the games we play, to manage unsettling realities? Necessary Fictions explores the performance of American power and identity in the post-9/11 era. During trips to ten military bases across the United States since 2016, Debi Cornwall documented mock-village landscapes in the fictional country of “Atropia” and its denizens, roleplayers who enact versions of their past or future selves in realistic training scenarios. Costumed Afghan and Iraqi civilians, many of whom have fled war, now recreate it in the service of the U.S. military. Real soldiers pose in front of camouflage backdrops, dressed by Hollywood makeup artists in “moulage”—fake wounds—as they prepare to deploy.
Cornwall presents a meta-reality—the artifice of war—and the book combines her photographs with a variety of texts to provoke critical inquiry about America’s fantasy industrial complex. With texts by Sarah Sentilles, PEN Award-winning critical theorist; Makeda Best, PhD, Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography, Harvard Art Museums, Harvard University; Nomi Stone, PhD, Pushcart Prize-winning poet; and an original work of fiction from Lannan Literary Fellow Roy Scranton, PhD.
Photographs and Text by Debi Cornwall
Poetry by Nomi Stone
Fiction by Roy Scranton
Essays by Makeda Best and Sarah Sentilles
Video by Radius Books
Book review by Francesco Scalici |
This is not the first time I have encountered a project similar to this in style and concept, however I’ve never really had the chance to discuss the importance of a conceptual body of work that is so rooted in reality. Debi Cornwall’s almost photojournalistic approach in capturing both the fictional community and mock village is shockingly real. Her analysis of American power and identity post 9/11 is somewhat minimal in nature, especially when we look at the emptiness and barren nature of the fake environment. Mock villages have always been somewhat fascinating to me. They serve a tactical purpose and are used as ways to map, highlight and understand a foreign surrounding. Cornwall’s photographs of the mock village seem to bridge the idea of an environment that hides undertones of architectural simplicity, coupled with its destructive nature and lack of identity.
The village itself can be compared to that of a nuke town, an area that is so obviously fake you can’t help but want to investigate and interact with it. Even the colors of the buildings themselves are reminiscent of countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. Debi Cornwall explores an industrial complex that aims to deceive by presenting a hidden truth, in this case the landscapes and environment themselves are just as important as the characters she chooses to display. This mock town is truly interesting because it takes on the role of a stage, a place where political, social and economic issues can be discussed. The fact that the buildings are neutral in color themselves are reminiscent of the first brushstrokes of paint on a canvas, allowing the photographer to not just isolate the subject from the background but the viewers perception of the subject as well.
The first thing that actually came to mind when viewing this collection of images was just how much it reminded me of Peter Berg’s film ‘The Kingdom’. For those who haven’t seen it I highly recommend watching it due to the relationship between the main protagonist ‘Ronald Fleury’ played by Jamie Foxx and ‘Colonel Faris Al Ghazi’ played by Ashraf Barhom. Aside from the obvious similarities between the landscapes portrayed in the film and in ‘Necessary Fictions’, the film humbly plays tribute to the 9/11 tragedy by analysing the relationship between an American FBI agent, sent to investigate a bombing of American citizens on Saudi soil and a Saudi officer who’s duty is to look after the American agents.
The film is particularly good due to our interpretation and perception of the characters and their relationship towards their own countries. The movie inevitably ends with us, the viewer feeling not only sorry for the relationship between both countries but also the people involved in the middle of this investigation. It’s interesting to look at Debi Cornwall’s approach to American power and identity through the lens of this film and its characters. Both the movie and the photographic collection seem to foreshadow a conflict that will always be present in the hearts of both communities. And while Cornwall’s images are far from aggressive and dominating, as previously stated they do hide a certain truth.
Its presentation is also very considered. The collection of texts and various writing pieces are showcased much like a letter would be. In some parts of the book the writing itself is just as important when it comes to accompanying specific images. These details in presentation is what truly makes this collection of images a very inspiring collaborative project. Its consideration to the way it has been presented really do justice to the portraits of soldiers scattered throughout the pages of the book.
