Beans • Bullets • Bandaids

Project Statement

I want others to experience flying combat missions, from the mundane to the extraordinary. The video was shot while deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. I intend for the installation to give the viewer a glimpse into what the C-130 aircrew experiences flying combat missions in the Middle East so that viewers might get a sense of the reality of flying in a cargo plane over Afghanistan. The title refers to the main items; food, ammo, and medical supplies that are flown to and from FOBs, Forward Operating Bases, by the C-130.

This five-channel video installation displays raw footage from different phases of flight. The displays are close together, and the audio is loud. I want the viewer to feel a bit confined and overstimulated.

I hung the camera behind the flight engineer seat in the C-130. I could show inside the cockpit and exterior view by using a super wide angle lens. I recorded the aircraft audio inside the aircraft and the radio calls. The crew usually listens to three radios and the banter inside the plane. The footage is raw and only edited for time; I’ve done very little in post-production.