I'm not quite sure if this counts as an art article, but I have chosen to talk a little about the Combat Paper Project. The project is based out of art studios around the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. What exactly is the project? It is a series of workshops that allow war veterans to turn their old stored away and often forgot about uniforms into pieces of paper and artwork. The about me section on the site states that "Through paper making workshops veterans use their uniforms worn in combat to create cathartic works of art. The uniforms are cut up, beaten into a pulp and formed into sheets of paper. Veterans use the transformative process of paper making to reclaim their uniform as art and begin to embrace their experiences in the military." This is a really great way of helping these soldiers to work through their experiences and share them at the same time. It lets them show their emotions through their work; their anger, their sadness, their ambition, and so on and so forth.
Prints from Combat Paper Portfolio Volume I, Jon Michael Turner, 2008
The story of the fiber, the blood, sweat and tears, the months of hardship and brutal violence are held within those old uniforms. The uniforms often become inhabitants of closets or boxes in the attic. Reshaping that association of subordination, of warfare and service, into something collective and beautiful is our inspiration.
Drew Cameron
