Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

The Cluster Project produces collaborative, multimedia artworks that explore weapons, war, civilian casualties and popular culture. As director of the project, I conceive works that seek to challenge the collective alienation in the West toward war and attract viewers who don’t typically frequent art venues. This creative practice presentation surveys our works related to children and war, especially our new exhibition Children’s Guide to Weapons, a giddy spectacle about our culture’s daily mix of violence and entertainment, and the patriotic role of children in a militarized state. The satirical exhibition features a central laser-based interactive shooting game (hosted by “Cupcake,” our teddy bear guide), animated tributes to beloved weapons, drone war coloring books, twisted patriotic stickers, and militarized stuffed animals. Children’s Guide to Weapons reflects the surreal normalization of violence in our culture, references the widespread practice of using children as war propaganda for military recruitment and civilian obedience, and ultimately considers how militarized cultures tend to create and promote a kind of infantilism, where its citizens are reduced to childlike endorsement of complex and destructive policies.