Lecture Response

I attended the lecture of Gabriela Bulisova talk “Collateral Image: Portraits of Iraqi Refugees” on Wednesday, March 23. Ms. Bulisova, a former SMCM visiting proessor, outlined her history of documenting various refugee scenarios, including Iraq, Chernobyl, Iran, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, and also of other disasters such as New Orleans after Katrina or the AIDS plight in D.C. She specifically described the story of almost 5 million Iraqis displaced either internally or forced to flee international borders. Some have fled to the United States, working to build a better Iraq. As such, they have become hated and have been targeted.

The talk was illustrated through a series of pictures. As Bulisova claimed, her “lens is not dispassionate. I am an activist”. Bulisova took a personal interest in her work, going so far as to visiting foreign countries and travelling with a translator through scenarios others would consider too perilous in order to pursue. She wanted to deliver the refugees stories to the world, even when the refugees themselves requested to not be photographed directly to avoid identification. Her pictures show the essence of the human soul when it is pushed to the extreme by an oppressive government. Her pictures show their strength.

Most of her pictures were taken in a non-traditional format. Some pictures showed only bodies and no heads, while others utilized properties of light and shadow to evoke certain emotions from the observer. Her pictures showed no image that was even flattering, but raw emotion and determination to survive.

In one part, she showed the story of three Iraqi women at the beach. Her translator was able to identify the women as Iraqi by “the sorrow in their faces”. This phrase struck me as very telling as to the struggle of the displaced Iraqi population as a whole, and makes me feel that their stories should be better known throughout the world. I am unsure if the plight will be ended soon, but the work of people such as Ms. Bulisova will hopefully bring the Iraqi displacement to the attention of those who can begin to make a significant difference.