In Unit 14 at Bartlett, we’re interested in the way that people interact with objects, spaces, and things. We look at other things too, but interaction is a big part of what we do.
I have been looking at guns. Toy guns. Lots of ‘em.
Fundamentally, toy guns are weird. We’ve had them for the past few hundred years. The idea that you have a toy that is a replica of an object used to slaughter your fellow man is a tad odd. You don’t really get so many toy guillotines or toy electric chairs, so why guns? What makes little boys love them? Why do countless generations run around fields pretending to shoot each other?
Whilst I am not going to try and solve every question you could have about guns, here’s an overview of my gun rationale. Please note that toy guns are not just for boys, but I’ve characterised the end user as a boy for the sakes of continuity.
This is one of a few projects I’m working on at the moment. It may seem macabre, but I have a fascination with object that you instinctively know how to use. Over the next few months I will be developing a few prototypes and thought experiments regarding toy guns. Watch this space.
Here’s the ‘manual Powerpoint’ presentation that got me thinking about guns.
Guns guns guns
You never find a boy with a gun.
You find a cowboy with a gun.
You find a spy with a gun.
You find a policeman (or robber) with a gun.
You find a spaceman with a gun.
You find a soldier with a gun.
Pushing it a little, you find a pirate with a gun.
You find a monster with a gun. Or the guy who kills monsters. With a gun.
You find a superhero with a gun.
In short, a gun puts you on top of the world.
With a gun, the power shifts; you cease being a child. You are holding in your hand a tool that could kill – or maim – anything. In your imagination, of course. Toy guns fuel a fantastical role-play whereby a child becomes an authority figure.
How do we play with guns?
1. Solo
A boy runs around and shoots inanimate objects. Take that, dog.
2. Active participant
A boy shoots at someone. They pretend to have been shot. The boy laughs. They shoot the person again. They pretend to have been shot again. Repeat ad infinitum (somehow this joke never tires).
3. Protection
A child assumes role of bodyguard.
4. Battle
Two children have guns. They shoot at each other. Neither wants to be the first to die.
5. War
Lots of kids have guns. Nobody wants to die.