The work collected here represents my initial involvement with India Coy., Second Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment via the Canadian Forces Artist Program. CFAP selects artists every 2 years to develop a body of work which will “allow Canadian artists the opportunity to record Canada's soldiers in Canada and around the world”.

My specific project considers with how the infantry operates as a social system, how soldiers interact with each other and how the specifics of this system constitutes a separate society – one that operates, at least partially, in exclusion from civilian society.

I am interested in notions of the utopic, how the military, with its own rules and priorities attempts to create an ideal society, one which though unachievable, non the less seeks its own form of perfection. That it is a perfection of violence is secondary to the attempt to create something which doesn’t take the accepted (civilian) order for granted.

In addition to this social climate, the painted works will also attempt to convey a sense of the transcendent. The isolation of operating in the natural world offers the (albeit rare) opportunity to escape from the known. There exists the chance to achieve a neutral, or perhaps sublime moment. While these moments are often pondered through the frame of nature imagery and writing, it is non the less moments which sit at the lip of physical and mental ability which afford the chance to slip free even while (and perhaps due to being) loaded down with the weight of combat equipment.

These images depict India company, 2 RCR as they train for the specific threats and situations which they will face during their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. This week long exercise focused on mechanized and dismounted tactics ranging from holding Shuras to reacting to IED strikes as well as larger scenarios such as the cordon and search of enemy compounds.

Starting in February 2007, India (and Hotel) will begin their 6 month deployment as part of the UN-Sanctioned NATO-led International Stabilization Assistance Force (ISAF).

I have been asked of late questions such as , “what do you think about what’s going on over there?” I will side-step these questions by offering that while I can certainly posit opinions, my energies are directed towards that which I have personal, firsthand knowledge (now in two contexts): the relationship that soldiers have with the world they have willingly left behind yet are inextricably linked to and in service of.
And then, if the question might be, “what will you offer to this situation?”, I offer this.

Thanks to all at DHH, CFAP, CF, 2 RCR and especially India Coy. for helping me out, putting me up and putting up with me.

Scottt Waters, Sept 18, 2006

If you might like, drop me a note of any sort> scott@scottwaters.ca