_Hidden Wounds Interactive

Scars and wounds caused by war are not always visible. In 2010, an article appeared in the Guardian detailing the devastating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on the life of one veteran, Jimmy Johnson. Through Johnson’s story, the article also reflected on the hidden suffering of countless other veterans struggling with PTSD and the debilitating consequences of the disorder.

One reader inspired to action by the article was Tom Barman, frontman of the Belgian band dEUS. Barman wrote a song called Hidden Wounds that was based on the article and Johnson’s story. After hearing the song, Dutch filmmaker Tomas Kaan and production group Prospektor (duo Arnold van Bruggen and Eefje Blankevoort) decided to delve further into the issue. Fueled by the power of dEUS’s musical work, the team created an interactive music video for the track made up of interviews with 24 veterans suffering from PTSD. Men of all ages, from across the US and Europe, speak about their shared but profoundly isolating experience of returning home but never shaking the memories of battle.

On visiting the Hidden Wounds site, visitors can choose to watch the music video straight through, a moving juxtaposition of staged scenes and documentary images set to the original dEUS track. Nodes along the video’s timeline also indicate moments of further investigation. Clicking here pauses the song and drops viewers into video clips in which veterans tell their stories in their own words. The site also includes a library of extended clips of each interviewee. Overall, Hidden Wounds Interactive is a powerful amplification of veterans’ voices into the hidden costs of conflict.