In a series featuring low resolution jpegs (standard compression files used on the Internet), German photographer Thomas Ruff enlarged the images to pixelated abstraction. Selecting digitally-transmitted photographs of war, atomic bombs, and burning oil fields, Ruff raises questions about the objectivity of photojournalists as well as the accuracy of images proliferating the world wide web. In the monumental photograph jpeg bu02 (2004), Ruff’s enlargement of a low-resolution file does not help with its identification and is instead blurred to an effect reminiscent of impressionist paintings. While the aerial view is still vaguely suggestive of a military complex, no details are maintained to confirm its location. The image recalls certain pieces of documentation presented by politicians at that time, including the images and information gathered for justification to invade Iraq for holding “weapons of mass destruction” under the Bush administration. Ultimately Ruff’s project is concerned with the production of source material, and how intervention by third parties can co-opt legitimate means of knowledge.