MURFREESBORO — An MTSU student turned U.S. Army
veteran will let his camera tell the story of his service in Afghanistan in a
new exhibit opening this week inside the Todd Art Gallery on campus.
Duran
Bunch, a junior marketing major, will be part of an opening reception on Wednesday,
Aug. 28, for “Afghanistan: Through the Eyes of a Soldier,” on display Aug.
29-Sept. 19 in Room 210 of the Todd Building.
Bunch, a
Nashville native, first came to MTSU as a biochemistry major straight out of
high school in 2005. A modeling agent spied him in a Nashville store and
whisked him into international fashion, where he worked in front of the lens as
a model for the Wilhelmina Agency NYC, stalking down runways in Milan and Paris
for designers John Galliano, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Vivienne Westwood
and Tommy Hilfiger.
He traded
in the designer garb for desert fatigues in 2009, joining the U.S. Army Reserve’s
325th Tactical Psychological Operations Company (Airborne) as a specialist and
winding up in Kandahar, Afghanistan, to support the 82nd Airborne in 2011 and
2012.
His unit
was one responsible for the “hearts and minds” factor in U.S. military service,
communicating American goals and offering help and support to local residents
before the Taliban could make more inroads into the towns and villages.
Bunch, 25,
bought a Pentax ZX-M 35mm camera and kept it and plenty of black-and-white film
at hand throughout his tour of duty, using knowledge gained from working with
renowned photographers Steven Klein and Steven Meisel to capture the documentary-style
shots.
The result
is a series of photos that depict the soldiers’ in-country experience in
“Operation Enduring Freedom,” ranging from daily interactions with the Afghan
people to routine missions that abruptly turned deadly.
Since his return
to the States, Bunch has exhibited his photos, along with looped video footage
from his “helmet cam,” at a Nashville gallery while he works toward a Bachelor
of Business Administration degree and more appearances on the dean’s list. He’s
also donating proceeds from sales of his prints to the Wounded Warrior Project.
His photographs
and uniform also will be a part of an exhibit in the Tennessee State Museum
featuring an historic look at military uniforms over the years. Bunch’s uniform
will represent the current conflict
Todd Art
Gallery exhibitions and receptions are always free and open to the public. The gallery
is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on
state and university holidays.
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