A Spatialized Debate

The Lafayette Crosses Hillside Memorial to the US soldiers killed in Iraq manifests two phenomena within the anti-war movement. One is the prominence of aesthetic/spatial representations of the cost of the war such as the Lafayette memorial, Arlington West and the Quaker organized traveling memorial of empty boots. The other is activism in affluent suburbs. Interestingly, these phenomena became more apparent when signs voicing their opposition to the memorial were put up across the street. The new signs protest how the memorial exposes children to death and in doing so exposes the struggle over space and values in suburbia. This video attempts to expose how space and values are constructed together in suburban California. I hope it gives others in the anti-war movement a chance to reflect and learn. To watch or download video, click here.