The war in Iraq has suffered enormous casualties, the toll on civilian lives is vague and many times are unreported. The number of U.S. casualties is reported and monitored, many of which are the result of I.E.D.s (improvised explosive devices). SWAMP‘s I.E.D.* is a (rather sensationalist) project that aims to give a physical presence to the violence occurring in the Middle East, by creating direct physical pain from the event of killed soldiers.
A Custom software application continuously monitors a website that updates the details of slain U.S. soldiers. When new deaths are detected the data is sent wirelessly to the I.E.D. armband. The LCD readout displays the soldiers’ name, rank, cause of death and location and then triggers an electric solenoid to drive a needle into the wearers arm, drawing blood and immediate attention to the reality that someone has just died in the Iraq war.
Opens this week at the 7th Biennial of video and new media, Santiago, Chile, Nov 19-27.