RUNNING HEAD: Voices Unheard

The Enclave Assignment

RUNNING HEAD: Voices Unheard

Voices Unheard
By Artist Richard Mosse
Art is created to get a reaction out of the audience; whether it is awe, fear, pain,
happiness, laughter, etc. The artist brings forth images or sounds to create a story they
want to be seen and understood. There is an idea of why they made what they did, how
they felt creating this piece. However, it is interpreted differently to every individual and
I believe The Enclave was able to bring forth a colossal reaction from everyone who
experienced it.
The physical space that the artist Richard Mosse developed was unexpected, I had
not prepared myself for the assault on my senses that walking into the dimly lit room
would have on me. There were eight screens playing different video reels about the
conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between the Congolese military and
the people of the DRC. The whole piece was filmed in infrared color known as Kodak
Aerochrome that was used as a military tactic in the 1940s to spot camouflage uniforms,
(NPR, 2011). It catches an invisible spectrum of light and turns everything to hues of
lavender, hot pink, and crimson. The goal of this piece was to make people aware of the
tragedy that has been going on far to long in the DRC. It is a brutal war that has left over
5.4 million people dead since 1998. There are constant massacres, sexual violence, and
violations of the most basic human rights. Therehavebeenconstantviolentactions
towardtheCongolesepeoplethatnooneisbeingheldaccountablefor,andthatisa
globalissue,(PortlandArtMuseum,2014).

RUNNING HEAD: Voices Unheard

The room was painted black with no other lighting but the flashing screens, loud
rumbles, piercing noises, people chanting, and gunshots all blaring throughout the room
as you observed the vivid pink of the film. I found the room too closed off and
suffocating, as soon as the noises started I felt stressed and uncomfortable. The piercing,
screech like sounds made my skin crawl and evoked a sense of conflict and irritation; I
couldnt wait to escape from the room. The chanting, music, and speaking made me feel
panicked and distressed. I could never focus on the imagery when the sounds started, yet
when all noise ceased completely the eerie images of empty hills and ocean gave off a
feeling of defeat, a forgotten time and place.
There were visible scenes of death and pain, dead bodies scattered the road as
people walked by. They would film the bodies with camera phones, or lift up the cloth
covering them then continue on their way without even flinching. They seemed numb to
the violence around them; an example of this was the funeral scene. It was displayed as a
normal routine in their lives; nailing shut small coffins for children was just another day.
As described by the Portland Art Museum contributors to the exhibit, Mosse creates an
environment that makes you see and try to understand the atrocious issue that have been
largely overlooked by the media and most of the world population.

In a kind of advocacy of seeing, The Enclave attempts to cast this forgotten

RUNNING HEAD: Voices Unheard

Another strategy that Mosses uses is that of the pink filming technique, creating a
feeling of a surreal, fantastical space; a direct contrast to the brutality and violent
aspects of war that are being depicted.
The scene that really captured me was when there was a large assembly of people
in some sort of performance or fashion show. Women dressed up in tight outfits paraded
in front of blank faced military officials, young men jumped through flaming hoops of
fire while other sang and danced. This scene continues for quite some time then moves to
a close in shot of two boys sitting outside on the windowsill in the pouring rain, looking
in on festivities. This whole event seemed very out of place to me, how can they be
celebrating in such a way when hours before they probably buried their loved ones? A
strange part I noticed was the Western presence in their clothing: Nike shirts, Adidas
pants, Hollister, etc. It created another layer of disconnect for me and what was
happening in the DRC; I wanted to feel something other than pity but the image of the
clothes and fashion show was a slap in the face. It somehow managed to make me feel
responsible for their suffering, because of the presence of western culture. I believe this
scene was a good example of globalization because it portrayed the international reach of
manufacturing and trade, its incorporation into the daily culture of societies and how we
are all part of the violence that is continuing, because it is happening in the world which
we all share.
An article on NPR describes Mosses thoughts on his process and Kodak
techniques, and since this light is invisible, I was literally photographing blind. The
film places me at the limits of representation, the points at which not just photography but
perception itself begins to fail," (NPR, 2011). This statement encapsulates his piece The

RUNNING HEAD: Voices Unheard

Enclave, due to its unseen layers. The individuals perception of the piece is what really
sets it apart from other works of art; the amount of emotion and history you do not even
see but feel through the color and sound.
I think that Richard Mosse was able to reach his goals with The Enclave. It is a
dynamic piece that creates awareness of a very pressing issue as well as a piece of art that
stands apart from others. It gave enough information through visuals and sounds that no
written explanations were needed to make the audience aware of the issue in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was not overly found of the exhibit mostly because
of the loud noises and strange images. However I understood it as a powerful piece that I
would recommend for people to see for themselves.

RUNNING HEAD: Voices Unheard

References
Shaiman, Jack. "Richard Mosse - Jack Shainman Gallery." Richard Mosse - Jack
Shainman Gallery. Jack Shaiman Gallery, Inc., 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

Schreibstein, Jessica. Kodak's Retired Infrared Film Creates A Hot Pink Congo. Npr.org,
3 Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

"The Enclave." Portland Art Museum. Portlandartmuseum, 9 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Jan.
2015.