BY: CONNOR BRIAN
So many times have Westerners been confronted with sensationalized coverage of systematic murder and sexual violence in Africa, that many editors appear to view the bloody political conflict of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo with glazed eyes. So limited has been the reaction on the world stage that the conflict has been dubbed “An Invisible War.” Many might be unaware of their own influence on the situation, that their latest electronic device could be powered by conflict minerals.
And while it is true that we have been overrun with a single story, we cannot choose to ignore the importance of the 5.4 million lives that have died since 1998 in good conscience.
This is why Richard Moss, Trevor Tweeten and Ben Frost embedded themselves in the notorious armed rebel group M83, as they took control of Goma, capturing the moments that forced over 140,000 people to flee their homes into makeshift refugee camps in bubble gum pink.
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
They used Kodak Aerochrom infrared film, a discontinued military surveillance technology that was originally used to identify enemy camouflage. The concept of “The Enclave” developed from the idea that if the film can register light invisible to the human eye, perhaps it can also register an African tragedy that has been largely unseen.
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Moss describes himself as an artist first who oddly finds himself in the same circumstances as journalists. His primary goal is not to document events, but to capture beauty, which Moss believes, “is the main line to make people feel something. It is the sharpest tool in the box.”
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Seeing the brutality of war in bubble gum pink forces us to see the plight of the Congolese with fresh eyes. How can profound human suffering be so beautiful? Why do I watch so mesmerized but do nothing? This is the question Moss hopes to confront us with.
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Photo: Richard Moss/ Trevor Tweeten
Sources: doorofperception.com, cbc.ca, interviewmagazine.com