Design Year Book

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 06:02 AM PDT

"Force fed on violence, abused by a controlling superpower and blackmailed through patriotism, the public are ultimately as disposable as the toys they once played with." – Ben Turnbull

London based artist Ben Turnbull "is fascinated by the global dominance of American culture, and his works' unsettling effects result from re-presenting the toys of our innocent youth in symbolic forms that reveal the shocking truths about war, death and guns in the world's most powerful country."

With reclaimed wooden school desks as his choice of canvas, Turnbull has delicately carved into seven of the pockmarked, pen-scratched surfaces, leaving the negative imprint of a deadly weapon upon each. Employing impressions of guns, knives, grenades and even space-age sharp shooters - the desks are transformed from relics of a childhood past into intricately formed, vaguely intimidating reflections of the rapidly changing face of contemporary culture.