Inside Terrorism: The X-Ray Project

A conversation with artist Diane Colvert on her recent project that was exhibited inside De Anza College's library.

What was it like to work on the project, and meet with doctors and actually see such X-rays in real life?

First of all, I had a lot of problems working with them because I'm a photographer (and) I'm used to reading negatives. I could look at the X-rays and understand them. My initial reaction was I was horrified, and it took me a long time to work (with the X-rays).

The fact that I was able to understand what I was looking at initially, looking at them as if they were negatives from any other camera, stopped me for a long time from being able to work with them because I was horrified from what I was seeing.

Do you feel the X-ray project is a way to combat terrorism?

I do, because I think that once people understand what terrorism is, they can reject it. I think a lot of media representation of terrorism minimizes the problem. You don't usually know that terrorists take nails bolts, hex nuts, objects that are commonly in any hardware store, sharp objects and very often dip them in rat poison and pack them into these suicide vests and when they explode these things penetrate civilians. And cause either death or just very serious injuries. People don't know it. And when people see the X-ray project, they do know it.

How did you come up with the idea to show the X-rays?

I'm a photographer. When you look at images from war that are very common it's a big use of photography to show the (photos.) The photographer typically has a point of view and they will show their view in a good light or a bad light and photographers have lot of control of how the pictures will come out. We have tremendous control over your perception.

But if I use (hospital images) they are secondary documents of terrorism. So the primary purpose of these images (is) to help a surgeon remove shrapnel or repair veins or arteries. But I realize they are also straight documents of terror attacks, without any personal commentary. They are photographs. They are just images made in light.

With these X-rays and CT scans the light goes through the person and what you see is actually what's inside of them. First of all they are straight documents. Second of all they do not show us race, religion, ethnicity, social economic status.

Instead we all share a common humanity. These are medical documents, and I don't feel that information is important when you are discussing terrorism. I think what's important is to focus on the victims and their experience.

Do you ever run into controversy regarding the X-rays? What would you say to such people?

The problem with terrorism is really all over the world. I think it's on every continent and it's involved in many disputes. From your campus I met a young man who is from Sri Lanka and he knew all about the Timel Tigers and some of the attacks they've produced.

But some people don't want to hear this. It's a world wide problem, if we accept this tactic into our world we are going to have it for a long, long time.

How can terrorism be stopped?

I think that it can stop the same way that it started. If we pull attention and funding from groups or funding that in other words reduce media focus on them and reduce funding for their groups no matter what their projects, if the group is supportive of terrorism, they will have to find a diff way to have political discourse
And I want to stress to you to you that I don't object to political discourse.

I think that the Palestinians have legitimate reasons to be mad at the Israelis and I think that the Pakistanis and Indians have good points. What I don't think is legitimate is to go into a restaurants or a hotel and start killing people.

What inspired you to make the exhibit?

I would say shortly after the attacks on the world trade center in September I started noticing that there was more attention being paid to the aggressors than to the victims. Then I noticed it happening all around the world. I wanted to change the conversation, not to completely shut the terrorists out of our attention sphere but to include more information and more compassion for the victims. To shift the weight of the conversation or the balance.

De Anza College, La Voz
Nitzan BeckIssue date: 2/23/09