Dead Troops Talk by Jeff Wall

Jeff Wall created Dead Troops Talk in 1992. The concept for this work is soldiers on a battle field coming back to life and carrying on conversations. Jeff Wall is known for his ability to create and construct huge scenes for his photographs. His cost for a single photograph is often the same as the budget for many short films. Jeff Wall designs the set, hires actors and make-up artists, and incorporates props, costumes and special effects as well as items such as lighting equipment for movies when he’s preparing for a photo shoot.

Jeff Wall created a unique scene for Dead Troops Talk that would not be possible without using elaborate construction methods. For this photograph he began by constructing the set. First wooden scaffolding was created to approximate a war torn hill. Then multiple loads of dirt and stone were brought in to cover the hill. Actors were dressed in period uniforms then make up and practical effects artist made the actors look as if they were the dead returning to life. Wall posed small groups of the actors in the scene and photographed the groups separate from each other. After photographing all the elements of the scene, he digitally composited everything together on a computer. Wall then made a transparency and mounted it on a light box. The work is 2290 by 4170 mm. The image has a monochromatic washed out use of earth tone colors that is offset by the images mounting on a light box. This method of display adds to the images other worldliness.

Jeff Wall has a strong sense of composition and storytelling. In Dead Troops Talk his use of composition of figures and their actions are reminiscent of the methods used by renaissance painters, giving the overall feel of the piece a timeless quality. The work keeps the viewers gaze constantly moving from one group of figures to another. Each of these smaller compositions tell a story to the viewer that add to the larger story told by the entire scene. In the lower right corner of the image one group of soldiers listen to the main character, who has lost his hands and top of his head tell a story. Scattered around the rest of the image other soldiers are in various stages of re-animation. To add some light-heartedness to the otherwise bleak image a group of three soldiers are laughing and making jokes. Wall seems to mix the modern film techniques of set design with renaissance era painting compositions to create an image that the viewer finds believable yet fantastical at the same time.