While traveling recently in Norway, I came across “Camouflage,” a group exhibition by military veterans of wars and other armed conflicts that doubled as a form of therapy. It was presented in Bergen, Norway’s second largest city, and was curated by Per Ruttledal with the assistance of Suellen Meidell and Robert Rodrigues. Meidell told me she had served with the Norwegian military in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2007, as part of a NATO force-protection unit. Because I could not record the sound track on her video, which could only be heard on headphones, she gave me permission to substitute anything I wanted. Hope she approves.
About 11% of the soldiers returning from the Iraq and Afghan wars have PTSD, and about 15% of those from Vietnam. So I wonder why we have to turn to Norway to see a high profile exhibition about the topic?
80 million people died in the two world wars. Can PTSD become a collective phenomenon that shapes culture? Does Western culture have something like PTSD?
I’m also wondering what music you used to accompany the video?
Thanks for the stats. As usual, you raise an interesting issue. It had not occurred to me that Western culture these days may actually be described as a form of PTSD.
The music is no mystery. I found it via YouTube. An instance of “happy coincidence,” so to speak, because it amplifies the mood of the video and was the same length. Which simplified matters — I didn’t have to do any editing, and I could use the music whole. It’s worth noting, btw, that when sound is combined with image, sound rules. So said William Burroughs. Methinks he was right.
Horror Music by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/