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Bringing the war home
Perspectives
Exhibition Bringing the war home
www.thelancet.com Vol 384 December 13, 2014
“Crook’s unflinching medical gaze and intensely humane treatment of her creations allow us to consider the appalling effects of war…” The Hussar is a Crimean War soldier whose face has been run through by a musket ball, his jaw and cheek stitched together with the rough techniques of the time. The Captain is an officer from World War 1 whose nose has been cut away by shrapnel. He shows a forehead flap nasal reconstruction developed by British plastic surgeon Sir Harold Gillies,
which would eventually be swung down from the forehead to create a new nose. Soldier Rupert features another Gillies technique in his shattered jaw—the use of buttons to spread tension across stitches, preventing them from bursting. The Flight Lieutenant is portrayed as a member of the Guinea Pig Club, cared for by Sir Archibald McIndoe at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. McIndoe pioneered surgical techniques whilst emphasising the social and psychological rehabilitation of his patients. Hank is a US soldier from Afghanistan who has undergone a full facial transplant, showing the advancements in surgical techniques as well as the extraordinary physical, mental, and emotional impact soldiers continue to suffer today, long after “the war to end all wars”. Crook’s unflinching medical gaze and intensely humane treatment of her creations allow us to consider the appalling effects of war, as well as the bravery and perseverance of those who served, and those who treated them. These men did not come home from war; war came home with them.
Eleanor Crook
The wax figures are composite characters invented by Crook, each with a name or nickname. Their success lies in the pathos and humanity each evokes. Each silent soldier holds an instrument he would be physically unable to play. Shoelaces on only one shoe show the Flight Lieutenant’s loss of independence and dexterity—his fingers have been burned away in the same flames that claimed his face. Hank has no feeling in his lips; he holds a trumpet he cannot play. The Captain’s eyes are shut; he suffers from shellshock, and his burst eardrums bleed.
And the Band Played On An exhibit by Eleanor Crook at the Florence Nightingale Museum, London, UK, until Dec 22, 2014 https://andthebandplayedonblog. wordpress.com/
Kelley Swain http://kelleyswain.wordpress.com
Eleanor Crook
On Remembrance Sunday, I sat in a full congregation in Ely Cathedral, thinking of the lives lost in World War 1, watching as hundreds of paper poppies fluttered silently down to the floor. Displays like this symbolise the sheer number of deaths in war. But people, not poppies, fought and suffered, were wounded and killed. The abstraction of the dead allows us to remember at a distance. And the Band Played On, an exhibit by medical artist and sculptor Eleanor Crook, asks viewers to engage with the quality of life for injured soldiers who made it home. It is a necessary contrast to this floral centenary. Crook’s exhibition is comprised of five life-sized wax figures: soldiers from different wars in history, each suffering from documented facial injuries, each showing plastic surgery techniques of their time. The figures wear period uniforms and hold antique brass instruments. Natasha McEnroe, Director of the Florence Nightingale Museum, explains that the piece “is a record of the remarkable medical breakthroughs that often occur in the theatre of war, especially those involving facial injuries. It is…a reminder that war should be remembered but not glorified.” The Florence Nightingale Museum has treated this display with admirable care. Visitors are told about it at the front desk and must walk through the permanent exhibition before arriving at a door to be greeted by one of two interns hired to work with the exhibition. Morgan and Rhiannon are as much a part of this as the piece itself, and have had special training to talk about the difficult subject. They take each visitor in hand, sitting with people who may be upset by the exhibit, answering questions, or leaving guests in peace. And the Band Played On has been curated with respect and sensitivity.
And the Band Played On (2014) by Eleanor Crook
e64
Exhibition Bringing the war home
www.thelancet.com Vol 384 December 13, 2014
“Crook’s unflinching medical gaze and intensely humane treatment of her creations allow us to consider the appalling effects of war…” The Hussar is a Crimean War soldier whose face has been run through by a musket ball, his jaw and cheek stitched together with the rough techniques of the time. The Captain is an officer from World War 1 whose nose has been cut away by shrapnel. He shows a forehead flap nasal reconstruction developed by British plastic surgeon Sir Harold Gillies,
which would eventually be swung down from the forehead to create a new nose. Soldier Rupert features another Gillies technique in his shattered jaw—the use of buttons to spread tension across stitches, preventing them from bursting. The Flight Lieutenant is portrayed as a member of the Guinea Pig Club, cared for by Sir Archibald McIndoe at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. McIndoe pioneered surgical techniques whilst emphasising the social and psychological rehabilitation of his patients. Hank is a US soldier from Afghanistan who has undergone a full facial transplant, showing the advancements in surgical techniques as well as the extraordinary physical, mental, and emotional impact soldiers continue to suffer today, long after “the war to end all wars”. Crook’s unflinching medical gaze and intensely humane treatment of her creations allow us to consider the appalling effects of war, as well as the bravery and perseverance of those who served, and those who treated them. These men did not come home from war; war came home with them.
Eleanor Crook
The wax figures are composite characters invented by Crook, each with a name or nickname. Their success lies in the pathos and humanity each evokes. Each silent soldier holds an instrument he would be physically unable to play. Shoelaces on only one shoe show the Flight Lieutenant’s loss of independence and dexterity—his fingers have been burned away in the same flames that claimed his face. Hank has no feeling in his lips; he holds a trumpet he cannot play. The Captain’s eyes are shut; he suffers from shellshock, and his burst eardrums bleed.
And the Band Played On An exhibit by Eleanor Crook at the Florence Nightingale Museum, London, UK, until Dec 22, 2014 https://andthebandplayedonblog. wordpress.com/
Kelley Swain http://kelleyswain.wordpress.com
Eleanor Crook
On Remembrance Sunday, I sat in a full congregation in Ely Cathedral, thinking of the lives lost in World War 1, watching as hundreds of paper poppies fluttered silently down to the floor. Displays like this symbolise the sheer number of deaths in war. But people, not poppies, fought and suffered, were wounded and killed. The abstraction of the dead allows us to remember at a distance. And the Band Played On, an exhibit by medical artist and sculptor Eleanor Crook, asks viewers to engage with the quality of life for injured soldiers who made it home. It is a necessary contrast to this floral centenary. Crook’s exhibition is comprised of five life-sized wax figures: soldiers from different wars in history, each suffering from documented facial injuries, each showing plastic surgery techniques of their time. The figures wear period uniforms and hold antique brass instruments. Natasha McEnroe, Director of the Florence Nightingale Museum, explains that the piece “is a record of the remarkable medical breakthroughs that often occur in the theatre of war, especially those involving facial injuries. It is…a reminder that war should be remembered but not glorified.” The Florence Nightingale Museum has treated this display with admirable care. Visitors are told about it at the front desk and must walk through the permanent exhibition before arriving at a door to be greeted by one of two interns hired to work with the exhibition. Morgan and Rhiannon are as much a part of this as the piece itself, and have had special training to talk about the difficult subject. They take each visitor in hand, sitting with people who may be upset by the exhibit, answering questions, or leaving guests in peace. And the Band Played On has been curated with respect and sensitivity.
And the Band Played On (2014) by Eleanor Crook
e64