Junk Mail Revisited

I know war is a complicated phenomenon that divides people (politically, literally, etc.). No matter your political beliefs, I think any art lover should marvel at the abilities of Burtonwood and Holmes. Why do I care about their art? Well, because they use junk mail to create their sculptures. The metaphors are hilarious and thought-provoking, and the execution is flawless. Visually, I think they're interesting. When I first saw the tank (first photo), I couldn't stop looking at it, and this was before I knew its materials. These are pieces of an installation: go to the website to see more work.

They talk about their mission better than I ever could:

“Burtonwood and Holmes are a collaborative team working in a range of media to produce work that challenges mainstream ideas about warfare and consumerism. Their large-scale installations attempt to “bring the war home” to audiences on different levels. Illustrating the consumptive aspect of warfare and defining “materielism” (sic) as an integral part of the global economy.”

These images are from the Consuming War pieces these artists have constructed.

“Focusing on the U.S. conflict in the Middle East over the past 10 years, Consuming War addresses the ways the American media and consumer culture have manipulated and influenced our perceptions of war, often turning it into a spectacle for American consumption. While war is an underlying theme in all the works, each addresses the concept of war, and our relationship to it, from a variety of angles, creating pieces that range from political cartoons to sculptures that recreate the archaeological artifacts looted from the National Museum of Iraq and large suspended papier mâché bombs made from sale advertisements. Timely in its subject matter, Consuming War offers an innovative platform in which the complex and multifarious connections between war, capitalism, American consumer culture, and our everyday live can be re-situated and critically examined.”

There's even more to look at on the website!