Alfredo JaarThe Sound of Silence, 2006
‘The Sound of Silence’ stands as a cornerstone of Alfredo Jaar’s critical engagement with political injustice and the ethics of representation, particularly in relation to Africa. The work marks the beginning of a trilogy that interrogates the legacy of iconic photojournalistic images and questions the responsibilities of both the image-maker and the viewer. Jaar’s wider practice is rooted in a conceptual approach that foregrounds the moral complexity of bearing witness. Through installation, film and text, he examines the space between seeing and doing, and the psychological burden carried by those who document and consume images of suffering. In ‘The Sound of Silence’, Jaar constructs a freestanding viewing structure with a single entrance, where a green or red light controls entry. Inside, a silent eight-minute film relays in white text on a black screen the life and tragic death of South African photojournalist Kevin Carter, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his photograph of a starving child in Sudan. The story builds slowly, culminating in a sudden flash that reveals the photograph in full brightness before returning the viewer to darkness. With powerful restraint, Jaar asks whether an image can not only provoke change, but also inflict harm – whether it can destroy both its subject and those who look.
