When we heard that Jane Hammond was doing an ongoing installation at the FLAG Art Foundation in New York our interest was piqued--what could she be creating that would continue over the course of the exhibit? As it turns out, this installation is part of her seven-year journey hand-making unique leaves inscribed with the names of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. Her exhibition at FLAG will begin with 4,455 leaves.

With unique leaves, "Fallen" emphasizes the importance of each solder as a singular human being--not a statistic. Hammond brings the names to life in an earthy spirit. Explaining why she chose the leaf as a metaphor, she says, "There is something about leaves in the autumn, at the zenith of their coloration that is transcendent. I've tried to gather leaves just at this moment when the chroma is so strong it transcends the body of the leaf and becomes a kind of pure light."

For her poignant way of honoring the beauty of life in the fallen soldiers of Iraq, Jane Hammond's "Fallen" is Character Approved.

Organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, the exhibit will be on view from September 23 to December 17th at the FLAG Art Foundation: 545 West 25th Street, 9th Floor.

[Image: Jane Hammond, Detail of "Fallen," 2004-ongoing. Color ink jet print, printed from digital file recto and verso, on archival paper, cut, with matte medium, Jade glue, fiberglass strand, sumi ink, and additional handwork in acrylic paint and gouache. Dimensions variable. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Purchase, with funds from Sarah Ann and Werner Kramarsky, The Schiff Foundation, Melissa and Robert Soros, Marion C. and Charles Burson, Toby Devan Lewis Foundation, The Judith Rothschild Foundation, Nora and Guy Barron, Pam Joseph and Rob Brinker, Greg Kucera, Larry Yocom, Ted and Maryanne Ellison Simmons, and The Stanley Family Fund 2007]