Soldier Brother

SURE, TEXTING IS EASY. BUT TRY IT WHEN YOUR BROTHER HAS SHIPPED OUT TO AFGHANISTAN.
Your brother is at war, but life goes on.

Toronto artist Kaitlin Jones delves into what it’s like for Canadian families coping in contemporary wartime. Through an exploration of her brother’s possessions and shared text messages, Jones examines the nuance of sibling relationships; her displaced role as “big sister” in the face of what her brother is doing; the challenges of “instant communication” in the context of war; the haunting, indelible feeling that no matter what, there’s no turning back.

She’s compelled to strike a fine balance of inquiry and normalcy as she communicates with her brother through texts and Facebook threads over the months he’s away. It’s a shorthand vernacular that’s at odds with the complexity of her circumstance and the depth of her feelings. Her own strategy: hold steady, don’t ask too many questions, don’t talk too much about home. Coded actions, the weight of which only family can truly understand.