Carved Weapons

Gitika Jadhwani

When I visited Art Dubai 2015, I came across a lamp which reflected the carved portion of the lamp with the help of an illuminating light. Then, I came across an art piece that left a lasting impression cause of its uniqueness. The art piece was of a man praying on a musallah (prayer rug) with many weapons like guns, missiles and fighter jets surrounding him. The man was made of Pakistani rupees while the weapons were made of US dollars. I found the concept of using currency notes in an art piece extremely baffling and fascinating at the same time. The message of the artist was well portrayed even though, I have minimal knowledge in art. So, while I was going through the pictures in my phone, these two art pieces really made an impression on me. Hence, I decided to combine both of these art pieces by creating a lamp with the carving of the man praying with a few weapons surrounding him. The reflective lamp is aesthetically appealing while the art piece of the man praying depicts the stereotype against Islam which makes combining both these pieces meaningful and appealing at the same time. 

Art Techniques

·         Use of AutoCAD software for outlining the praying Muslim man and the weapons.

·         Use of laser cutting to carve the lamp.

·         Use of LED light to illuminate the lamp and reflect the carving. 

Dimensions

·         A cube of 20x20x20 cm