Artist statement: “This series is a blunt and humorous portrayal of some much disputed objects that through history have caused wide spread terror and suffering yet remained a central subject in public security debate. By using eatable to compose weapons the installations set an item that is easily accessible and commonplace up against one that is powerful and terminating, with the potential of ending a life. It thereby makes reference to the availability of weapons, questioning their belonging in terms equal to supermarket commodity.
The bright colors and materials used in the installations, present the objects with a tempting and comic sense, relieving them of some it their usual gravity and grimness. The paint dripping out of the banana revolver is easily associated with cartoon comics while the candy construction takes on a childlike and seductive expression. Bringing the world of weapons to childhood like settings simultaneously makes reference to children’s play, where the toy pistols, swords and alike, merely aid to set the scenery for a game of catch. The series thus takes on an innocent sense, suggesting if not a playful then perhaps a non-confrontational approach to the public debate.
There is no intention of diminishing the severity of the weapons issue, for it remains a determining factor in the history of societies. The series recognizes however, the universal strive to feel secure – whether it is by the protection of weapons or the protection from them. While my feelings of discomfort or even fear may contradict someone else’s feelings of assurance, I know that our reactions stem from the same desire. Striving to feel secure is at the very core of human survival and perhaps the reason to why we are so unwilling to compromise when confronted with opposing arguments. To me it suggests however, that there is common ground to be found in this shared desire and with its comic presentation and defusing of the weapons, the series hopes to disarm the outset of the debate.”
