Trench Art: Materialities and Memories of War Book

"Trench art" is the name given to objects made from the waste of industrialized war. Each object, whether an engraved shell case, cigarette lighter or a pen made from shrapnel, tells a unique and moving story about its maker. Not only do these objects symbolize human responses to the atrocities of war, but they also act as mediators between soldiers and civilians, individuals and industrial society, and, most importantly, between the living and the dead. This book is the first to explore in-depth the history and cultural importance of these evocative art forms. It spans from 1800 to the present day and examines objects made not only from the debris of WWI, but also from the American Civil War, Korea, and Vietnam. The analysis of art, human experience, and warfare will pave the way for new research and will be of great interest to cultural and military historians, anthropologists, art historians, and collectors.Read More