At least 15 Syrian students were killed on Thursday when rebel mortar bombs landed on the canteen of Damascus University's College of Architecture, state-run media reported. — Al Arabiya
Mortar shells landed on the canteen of Damascus University's College of Architecture killed at least 15 students and wounded 30 others on Thursday, state television reported, blaming rebels who have stepped up attacks in the heart of the Syrian capital.
16 Comments
Tragic. Even more tragic is the photo they used to describe the scene. They really expect us to believe some poor student was lugging that 3' long T-square around in the cafeteria? More like: "Quick, someone go grab a T-square from the studio area so we can smear it in blood and put it on the table so people will know it was at the architecture school." We really needed this image to understand the gravity of the incident?
sad that they had to show this image. and disrespectful. i would encourage archinect to remove it.
@ Connely Farr
for real, take it down.
very sad, but even though it makes us feel sick, I think people need to start looking at these images. The media is far to sanitized. If people saw the real images of war maybe they would think twice before supporting war mongers.
@ jla-x- The media is a bunch of cheap sluts that love to hear the sound of their own voice. The people that need to see this don't read this blog. This kind of photography is taken by fame seeking whores that want to be the next Eddie Adams! That kind of photo documentation has a place, but that place should not be here! And, this is not a Freedom of speech issue, it's a class and taste issue.
interestingly enough, i don't like the image being censored, we're adults, let's see the uncensored image.
Leave the image, this is a big issue. It's because of these acts, that russia has not backed away from Assad.
last ting we need is a talk on class and taste.
Our condolences for the Syrian architectural community and my colleagues in Damascus who caught in this senseless war.
Our hearts and thoughts are with you and with your loved ones in the face of such tragedy that struck a group of architecture students whose ideal is to build but not destroy. May your blood stained T-squares become a symbol of peace and reconstruction someday.
Personally, I send my deepest sympathies from Los Angeles to Damascus University's College of Architecture.
With the report of the attack coming from "state television" I'm going to approach this news with a bit of skepticism. They're blaming the attack on rebels and I agree, the placement of the T-square just seems to be propaganda in order to create sympathy for the Syrian regime. Without further information it's hard to assess what really happened. According to the article, secondary British observers tallied casualties at 10, the government claimed 20.
While any loss of innocent life is tragic, we have to be careful not to jump to any assumptions when the reports are murky.
Attention those Fox News style media watchers, conspiracy theorists and reserved blue blood types who had no words of consolation for Syrian architecture students but looking for a fault on the news itself, New York Times carries the story with similar photograph.
how is this image disrespectful? are you so sensitive and afraid to face reality? heck.. we were shown videos of concentration camps where thousands of bodies laid dead and people dumping the bodies in one of my history courses .. its reality.
But I agree with the comment that the t-square seems like it was used as a prop for the photo. Bodies are probably in pieces, blood splattered, debris everywhere, chairs flipped, but the plastic tsquare seems to be unscathed on the table ><
The T-square appears to be on the floor and, if not the opposite, may very well be a case of somebody putting it on the table to amplify the point that the murders were a direct attack on the college students who were studying architecture/engineering. It was my editorial decision to publish the former.
The point is, it does not change anything or reduce the meaning and the gravity of the violance.
Photo, Hurriyet, Turkey
Massa, an Arch2O team member from Syria, was under fire today, her friends in the class died. She would like to share this message with you.. (to Arch2O website)
_______________________________
Hi
I'm a Syrian Architecture student from Damascus University, in the last few months there has been a lot of violence in Syria, a lot of blood and martyrs, and unfortunately students are also one of the victims !
-On 15-01-2013 the Architecture faculty of Aleppo University has been attacked by an areal shell , and there was at least 15 architecture students whom passed away that day and some of them were my friends in the same studio!
-On 28-03-2013 the Architecture faculty of Damascus University has been also attacked by an areal shell and 12 students have passed away.
Now, What i really really wish from you is just to announce a special mourning day for the souls of those martyrs students whom we should respect and all the architecture community should feel even if a little part of this tragedy.
I wrote this letter to your website because i think it's one of the strongest and most famous websites related to architecture.
please consider my suggestion and if you need any help or documents or photos to support the event, i'm ready for everything.
best regards.
@accesskb "how is this image disrespectful? are you so sensitive and afraid to face reality?"
might i preface that i respect Orhan and his work and am in no way trying to put him down. I merely have an opinion
no, not afraid to face reality at all. do you need to show the blood of the dead children from a shool shooting to elaborate that something terrible has occured. i believe it is incredibly disrespectful to the families of those that are killed. did they ok that image? did they take it and send it to archinect and say, "please show people what is happening"? i doubt it.
I think that it is important to be aware and concerned, but i dont believe that we need to do so at the expense of the people that have suffered the most from this, ie the families and loved ones of those that are killed.
"heck.. we were shown videos of concentration camps where thousands of bodies laid dead and people dumping the bodies in one of my history courses .. its reality."
just because we are shown it, doesnt mean its right. just because something is legal doesnt mean its right. images and videos of horrific events are often presented (through media) the same way one might present the next new movie or the next big game. it's a headline, a stunning graphic, it happens over and over with things like plane crashes, wars, fights, school shootings... you name it. i believe it desensitizes people. families having dinner with the news on watching the latest developments in war or catastrophie. it gives one a false sense of participation. to me, seems wrong. thats just a gut feeling though. and if my brother died in that classroom that was shown above, i would be sad that his blood was shown to the world.
but then again, i could be wrong. maybe just because someone can take a picture, and had the "right" to do so and print it, maybe that "right" makes it ok. but i think its wrong.
Susan Sontag - On Photography is a interesting critique of similar scenarios around media and photography. (essay also includes some really interesting points about "props" [the tsquare] being used in photography and photography (media) being used as propoganda)
I agree the image above is powerful and the event is deplorable. i just think there could have been a more respectful way of carrying that message that doesnt include such a graphic image.
السلام عليكم
I hope the West realizes this is their Proxy War, and this is the result of a cancerous, Fascist Empire Expansion.
Hired Mobs (just like Iran's 1953 CoupD'etat) using the Stolen Benghazi Weapons. The Empire has no Clothes.
Peace will come once we all wake up to the deception.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.