Guns Into Sculptures

In Cambodia they have found the most uniqute method to get rid of the weapons. After the war ended in Cambodia in 1998 over 160,000 light weapons were collected for destruction by the joint effort of the Royal Cambodian Government and the EU Assistance program.

Getting citizens to part with the built-up hoard of guns has generated campaigns such as the "flame of peace" in which weapons are publicly destroyed to raise awareness. Now with the Peace Art Cambodia project, some of those weapons are being diverted to a project to unleash the creativity of artists whose experience with the history of their raw materials lends a poignancy to the concept of recycling. Some pieces are practical, like the seats pictured here, but some of the sculptures speak in the unique voice of a people that has witnessed local horror and devastation against the backdrop of globalization.

In particular, a representation of the cartoon character Bugs Bunny, his entire body composed of weapons parts with the exception of a prosthetic leg which supports him in his traditional laid-back posture, has the ability of great art to communicate many messages simultaneously.