Karim Ben Khelifa: "The Enemy" – a virtual journey through war and conflicts

Throughout his career as a war photographer, 44-year-old Karim Ben Khelifa has been driven to find the answer to a single huge question: Is it possible to invent a new way to make people care, that is, to make them think more deeply about war and conflicts?

Over the past 15 years, Karim Ben Khelifa has carved out a reputation for himself by covering the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places. He has worked in more than 80 countries and his photographs have been shown on four continents. He has had assignments for media greats such as Time, Vanity Fair, the New York Times Magazine and Le Monde.

Khelifa is currently in the process of finding the answer to the question that looms so large in his mind, as he works on a comprehensive project involving new technology and research. As Artist-in-Residence at the Open Documentary Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, he has designed the prototype for his new project “”http://theenemyishere.org/“>The Enemy”. Khelifa and his team are creating a virtual reality experience where viewers can meet soldiers fighting against each other in long-term conflicts.

“This is a bigger story than the war itself. This is what I am exploring and would like to share”, reports Khelifa in the trailer for the project.

He uses artificial intelligence, 3D technology and VR technology to confront us with our own notions of “The Enemy” and to explore “empathy”. “The Enemy” breaks away from traditional media depictions of war. By allowing the soldiers to explain who they are, and to share their motives and their dreams, the project challenges views held by both sides of conflicts, and ultimately humanizes the combatants.

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