- The Propeller Group

Transcription

The Guerrillas of Cu Chi
2012
Single channel video.
20:04 min. 2048 x 1152. 25p. Color. Stereo.
www.the-propeller-group.com
hello@the-propeller-group.com
3 Me Linh, District Binh Thanh
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Using a high-speed film camera that results in
super slow motion images, a series of tourists
were “shot” as they were shooting their guns at the
range of the Cu Chi tunnels. A camera, shooting at
5K definition was placed on dollies just directly in
front of the targets, situated face to face with these
tourists as they enter, pay, shoot, giggle, laugh,
and react to their own acts of shooting. The camera
was placed behind bullet-proof glass and pulled
sideways on a track, scanning the shooting booths
as it glides nonchalantly back and forth, witnessing the theatricality that happens behind weapons
of war, the firing, the smoke, the photos and the
reactions.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Cu Chi is a district outside Ho Chi Minh City in
which a series of underground tunnels, known as
the Cu Chi Tunnels, were built and used by the Viet
Cong in the military effort against the U.S. during
the U.S. - Vietnam War. These tunnels became a
crucial element in the victory against the technological might of the U.S. Military.
In present day, that general area has become a
tourist destination complete with amusementpark-like shooting ranges where tourists can pay
$1 USD for 1 bullet that they can shoot through
various guns used during the war, AK-47’s and
M-16’s to name a few. The Propeller Group is
interested in the complexities of this space and
want to turn this spectacle into a series of works
that include paintings and videos that captures and
ingests this surreal mashup of historical “debris”,
military “wreckage”, and capitalistic “madness”
Images taken from the Viet Nam War of Cu Chi.
and turns it into a sublime comment on the culture
and spectacles of post-war inside the belly of the
idiosyncrasies of global economic movements.
“The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas
as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving
as communication and supply routes, hospitals,
food and weapon caches and living quarters for
numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems
were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their
resistance to American forces, through which they
secured American withdrawal from Vietnam and
ultimate military success.”
“American soldiers used the term “Black echo”
to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For
the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air,
food and water were scarce and the tunnels were
infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, scorpions, spiders and vermin. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or
resting and come out only at night to scavenge for
supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in
battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be
forced to remain underground for many days at
a time. Sickness was rampant among the people
living in the tunnels, especially malaria, which was
the second largest cause of death next to battle
wounds. A captured Viet Cong report suggests that
at any given time half of a PLAF unit had malaria
and that “one-hundred percent had intestinal parasites of significance”.
“The 75-mile (121 km)-long complex of tunnels at
Cu Chi has been preserved by the government of
Vietnam,[2] and turned into a war memorial park.
The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and
visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer
parts of the tunnel system. Some tunnels have
been made larger to accommodate the larger size
of Western tourists, while low-power lights have
been installed in several of them to make traveling
through them easier and booby traps have been
clearly marked. Underground conference rooms
where campaigns such as the Tet Offensive were
planned in 1968 have been restored, and visitors
may enjoy a simple meal of food that Viet Cong
fighters would have eaten.
Above-ground attractions include caged monkeys,
vendors selling souvenirs, and a shooting range
where visitors can fire a number of assault rifles,
such as the M16 rifle or AK-47, as well as a light
machine gun like the M60.”
Images taken on research trip to Cu Chi shooting ranges.
Random tourist images of Cu Chi Tunnels found online.

- The Propeller Group

Transcription

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