Untitled (IRAQ)

Dates

2017 - Ongoing
Author

Alexandra Howland
Location Iraq, Iraq

Untitled (IRAQ) is a body of work 2 years in the making with the goal of defying the false memory created by foreign coverage and bringing a more intimate understanding of a country to the forefront. This work, comprised of Mosul Road 88km, Unseen, single images, found objects and interviews, seeks to question preconceived notions of a region, highlight the impact on the individual in the shift from private experience to public witness, and trace the power of the narrative back to its people.

© Alexandra Howland - Image from the Untitled (IRAQ) photography project

36°20′43.74′′N 43°08′14.16′′E A Federal Police soldier looks out over what is left of Old City West Mosul. *** Mosul Rd 88km is a single collaged panoramic image of the 88kms between Erbil and Al Nuri Mosque, thereby connecting the closest major city to avoid capture by ISIS with the center of the intended ISIS Caliphate. Here, one section of this road is depicted. Supplemented by individual interviews, portraits, documents, and audio, this work seeks to be an all encompassing sensory experience that brings viewers into the simulated landscape of living in and around a conflict zone.

Mustafa Salim, 27, works as a reporter for The Washington Post in Iraq. “The whole Mosul operation was a depression for me. Even though I love my job and I was having fun, even though it was a war, it was still fun to me to tell the story. But most of it was too sad, I did it, but it hurt me to be there...After Mosul was finished, I took a vacation to the states, to New York. On a beach there, some people there flying drones and I remember during Mosul time, hearing the sound of the drone meant that ISIS was flying above you and dropping grenades. I immediately thought I was in Mosul, I heard the sound of drones and I tried to find a place to hide, just for a second, before I realized, ‘No, Im not there anymore’ This was the only flashback I’ve had, but in general being in Iraq comes with this." *** Unseen collects the mobile images and video from Iraqi men and women to show an unfiltered view of individuals from across the country, highlighting the shift from private experience to public witness. Through curation of their phone content, interviews and formal portraits Unseen traces the power of the narrative back to its people: by defying the false memory that has been created through foreign coverage, it pushes a new, and more intimate understanding of Iraq to the forefront.

A father holds the body of his daughter, killed by mortar strike, before burying her just beyond the frontline of West Mosul. March 11, 2017

A mother of four stands outside the Medic Center inside Hamam Al Ali Refugee Camp. April 12, 2017 

A mass grave within the cemetary of Ma'moon neighbourhood. Wahed Ahmed, 55, who lives in Ma'moon neighbourhood, helped to bury the corpses of the attack that killed 132 civilians in Mosul Al-Jadida in March 2017. Ahmed said that the bodies are laying perpendicular to the direction of the graves and many of the stones are not in the right place. November 8, 2018

36°19′13.45′′N 43°06′41.68′′E A family carries buckets of water with them back to their home within Western Mosul. As most of the city has been entirely destroyed, residents who have chosen to remain inside Mosul as the conflict continues, are left without easy access to water or food. *** Mosul Rd 88km is a single collaged panoramic image of the 88kms between Erbil and Al Nuri Mosque, thereby connecting the closest major city to avoid capture by ISIS with the center of the intended ISIS Caliphate. Here, one section of this road is depicted. Supplemented by individual interviews, portraits, documents, and audio, this work seeks to be an all encompassing sensory experience that brings viewers into the simulated landscape of living in and around a conflict zone.

Federal Police Soldiers hold the frontline at the Old City of West Mosul. June 7, 2017

Ahmed Muhammad Rovan, 29, is a soldier in the 15th battalion from West Mosul, Iraq. Ahmed studied to be a teacher in University but was forced to join the army when he was unable to find any other job. He describes his first time on the frontline saying “Da’esh came to us every day, they fought us in the night, they fought us in the morning. There was not a moment when the car bombs weren’t coming for us, when the suicide bombs weren’t on our doorstep... I was terrified when I first started to fight with the enemy. I thought about my family, my friends, I thought that if I died what would happen to them?” *** Unseen collects the mobile images and video from Iraqi men and women to show an unfiltered view of individuals from across the country, highlighting the shift from private experience to public witness. Through curation of their phone content, interviews and formal portraits Unseen traces the power of the narrative back to its people: by defying the false memory that has been created through foreign coverage, it pushes a new, and more intimate understanding of Iraq to the forefront.

Sundis Khazal stands outside her tent in Hamam al Alil IDP camp. Originally from Anbar, she has lived in the camp since February 28 with her children. Her husband lives in a different section of the camp with his second wife and their 10 children. January 10, 2018 

Found objects from throughout Iraq 2017-2019.

Ahmed Khalil, 13, makes tea in their partially rebuilt home. He has been helping with the reconstruction of their home after it was destroyed during the offensive. November 9, 2018

Muna Ali Aljaffal, 24, is an artist from Baghdad. Having fled Iraq with her family after her father was targeted for being a journalist in 2001, Muna grew up largely in Damascus, Syria. When the war in Syria erupted, Muna and her family returned to Baghdad, fleeing one conflict for another. Muna recalls the fear she had of first moving to Baghdad; a city known for its conflict and riddled with everything from kidnappings to attacks. *** Unseen collects the mobile images and video from Iraqi men and women to show an unfiltered view of individuals from across the country, highlighting the shift from private experience to public witness. Through curation of their phone content, interviews and formal portraits Unseen traces the power of the narrative back to its people: by defying the false memory that has been created through foreign coverage, it pushes a new, and more intimate understanding of Iraq to the forefront.

36°20′33.85′′N 43°07′36.24′′E Construction workers clear the road outside what is left of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri. *** Mosul Rd 88km is a single collaged panoramic image of the 88kms between Erbil and Al Nuri Mosque, thereby connecting the closest major city to avoid capture by ISIS with the center of the intended ISIS Caliphate. Here, one section of this road is depicted. Supplemented by individual interviews, portraits, documents, and audio, this work seeks to be an all encompassing sensory experience that brings viewers into the simulated landscape of living in and around a conflict zone.

Hired workers sweep the road outside Al Nuri Mosque following the liberation of Mosul from ISIS. January 9, 2018

View from West Mosul in the central sqaure. A former insurance building, during the time of ISIS civilians were brought to the top and thrown off- most famously as punishment for being gay. Those who somehow survived the fall were met with stoning until they were killed. November 7, 201 8

Untitled (IRAQ)

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