Queen
and Country
Queen and Country: artwork seeks a wider public
Steve McQueen with his work exhibited at the Imperial War Museum (David Parry, PA)
'It's one of those things I don't want to let go,' says Steve McQueen, whose powerful and poignant piece of commemorative war art, Queen and Country, has been touring Britain since it was given by independent charity, The Art Fund, to the Imperial War Museum at the end of 2007. The Turner Prize-winning film-maker and artist, who received widespread acclaim in 2008 for his film Hunger, about the IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, produced Queen and Country after serving as an official war artist in Iraq. McQueen spent time in Iraq in 2003 but was kept away from the conflict zones and says he felt 'deflated and defeated' after being 'nannied throughout and shown around school rebuilding projects'. He then fought a long battle over his proposed work with the Ministry of Defence.
Lance Corporal Benjamin Hyde, Royal Military Police, died 24 June 2003, aged 23
Queen and Country is a simple tribute to the men and women from the British armed forces who died during the conflict. A plain oak cabinet holds drawers containing large sheets of postage stamps, on which are printed photographic portraits of almost 150 casualties. Each sheet is dedicated to one person, with his or her name, regiment, age and date of death printed in the margin. The images were chosen by the next of kin. Although the Ministry of Defence refused to provide the names and addresses of the bereaved families, believing them to be too traumatised to want to take part, by March 2009 179 families had been approached and 155 had agreed to take part.
McQueen is determined to take this commemoration to a wider public – to make it a truly public artwork. The Art Fund on behalf of McQueen and the families is campaigning to encourage Royal Mail to issue an official set of postage stamps using the images of the fallen soldiers. 'I am best known as a film and video maker, but it was too dangerous to film in Iraq,' McQueen says. 'More than any film I could make, an official set of Royal Mail stamps struck me as an intimate but distinguished way of highlighting the sacrifice of individuals … A stamp is a little like an individual frame of film. The arrival on our doormats of letters carrying such stamps would involve us all in an interaction which is both intimate and public.'
Elsie Manning and her husband with the Queen and Country image of her daughter Staff Sergeant Sharron Elliott, Intelligence Corps, died 12 November 2006, aged 34
McQueen refuses to get involved in arguments about the justification of the war. He says his work is about the individuals, not the politics. He described to the Independent in 2008 how deeply he was moved by the reaction of the families who attended a private view of Queen and Country. 'One little girl came up and said, "Do you want to see my daddy?" and pulled out the drawer.' The physical contact with the drawer seems special to people and so does the multitude of images. The images make it neither pro- nor anti-war. To those against, they are victims. To those in favour, they laid down their life in a just cause.'
Carol Paterson with the Queen and Country image of her son Private Scott 'Casper' Kennedy, died 28 June 2007, aged 20
McQueen says the project will continue until all British forces leave Iraq. Royal Mail says a 'period of reflection' is needed before any decision is taken on the production of commemorative stamps and that it receives some 3000 requests each year. Meanwhile, more than 18,000 people have signed The Art Fund's online petition backing their issue. In the words of Julie Maddison, the mother of Royal Marine Christopher Maddison, who died on 30 March 2003: 'A commemorative stamp is a small price to pay for a life, but it is a respectful way to remind us all of those who gave their lives for the war in Iraq, whether we agree with the war or not.'
You can find out where the work is being exhibited, read a full Q&A with Steve McQueen, and sign the online petition, at The Art Fund's website.
