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September 10, 2004

DEATH MASK

This portrait of George W. Bush is composed of photos of American soldiers who have died in Iraq. It is our version of "The Roster of the Dead," a two-and-a-half page spread of 900 photos published yesterday in The New York Times. We don't know who created the GWB death mask. It came to us in g-mail -- uncredited -- from a friend. But here's a fitting caption from Bob Herbert's column this morning: "How many thousands more will have to die before we acknowledge that President Bush's obsession with Iraq and Saddam Hussein has been a catastrophe for the United States?" And, he might have added, for the Middle East.

Postscript: Have a look at Mort Subiet's "Boot Count," another staggering death roster. This one gains visual impact by scrolling through it. The faster you scroll, the more dazzling it is. Subiet gives overdue meaning to the phrase "boots on the ground."

PPS: Dec. 28, 2007 -- The Death Mask mosaic is the creation of Joe Wezorek, who blogs at American Leftist. He confirmed it the other day in an email. "I created the image in the spring of 2004," Wezorek said. "It became something of a phenomenon at that time." Here's what a Google search just turned up: The BBC reported on the image in April 2004 in a news story about official Pentagon photos of the coffins of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. The American Prospect interviewed Wezorek about the mosaic and published its story, "The Faces of Honor, the Face of Shame," in June. Wezorek also wrote about the image when it appeared on the cover of Common Ground in July (actually, a repeat of his April 7 blogpost). A large version of the mosaic, which he called "War President," was exhibited in a group show, Face Off, at the Feldman Gallery in New York later that year (Oct. 23-Nov. 27). Wezorek has also done a couple of visual editorials for The Nation: Perp Walk and 20,000 Chávez Fans Can't Be Wrong.

Posted by at September 10, 2004 9:00 AM

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