The United Nations is one of those places perhaps visited once (at best) by residents and perhaps not at all by the independent visitor not on a tour. I vaguely remember visiting and touring long ago as part of a high school trip before I lived in the city. The image of the United Nations itself has become somewhat tarnished as time passes with various issues and problems - enforcement of Security Council resolutions, bureaucratic inefficiency etc., leaving even less reason to find itself on the visitor's list. But it is still worth a visit. The large complex is unusually spacious for NYC and abuts the East River. In addition to the vistas and various buildings (which can be toured), there are gardens and outdoor sculptures. The work shown in the photo of a 45-caliber revolver with its barrel knotted is titled Non-Violence and is frequently referred to as the "knotted gun." It was created by Swedish sculptor Carl FredrikReutersward in 1980. A cast metal version was gifted by Luxembourg to the United Nations in 1988. The piece makes an immediate impression with its message quite clear. The inspiration for the piece was the death of John Lennon, a friend of the sculptor's ...
Friday, September 07, 2007
Knotted Gun
The United Nations is one of those places perhaps visited once (at best) by residents and perhaps not at all by the independent visitor not on a tour. I vaguely remember visiting and touring long ago as part of a high school trip before I lived in the city. The image of the United Nations itself has become somewhat tarnished as time passes with various issues and problems - enforcement of Security Council resolutions, bureaucratic inefficiency etc., leaving even less reason to find itself on the visitor's list. But it is still worth a visit. The large complex is unusually spacious for NYC and abuts the East River. In addition to the vistas and various buildings (which can be toured), there are gardens and outdoor sculptures. The work shown in the photo of a 45-caliber revolver with its barrel knotted is titled Non-Violence and is frequently referred to as the "knotted gun." It was created by Swedish sculptor Carl FredrikReutersward in 1980. A cast metal version was gifted by Luxembourg to the United Nations in 1988. The piece makes an immediate impression with its message quite clear. The inspiration for the piece was the death of John Lennon, a friend of the sculptor's ...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
The sculpture speaks for itself but the fact that it is dedicated to John Lennon gives it even more meaning. Killing John Lennon was like killing Gandhi in a way. As absurd and unforgivable as to shoot the pigeon of peace.
Carlos - I'm not sure it was actually dedicated to Lennon. The UN site had nothing about it. It was only after digging that I found an brief mention that the sculptor was outraged at Lennon's death, that he was a friend and that it was what drove him to do this piece.
i remember going to the UN many many times. nice capture of the sculpture. actaully makes me want to go back to the UN maybe this weekend and take a look around. its been a long long time since i've been.
I love this sculpture. I used to live accross the street, in Tudor City Place. I have not been in the UN sculpture garden in a while. You made me want to revisit.
As they say, pictures speak louder than words....well in this case, sculpture speaks louder than words!
If only we could knot all guns in this way - they are one of the greatest evils our world has ever created, yet so easily accessible to those they should be kept well away from.
What a wonderful world it would be if all the guns were knotted!
The sculpture makes me want to PUKE!
Well, IF ALL guns could be knotted, you would be correct. It would be a wonderful world. I have young children and would die to guarantee that they would live in a world of peace and harmony with no criminals that I needed to protect them from. But once you got rid of guns, then you'd have to get rid of knives, then rocks and clubs...
Your heart is in the right place but your logic is WACKED !!!!!!!!!!
It's not whacked logic. The logic of the gun is one of fear. Separate yourself from fear and you'll embrace a message of trust and peace. Are there loonies out there? Certainly. I've nearly been shot by one myself. But a handgun bought for protection is 22 times more likely to harm you or your family than to be used to protect you.
http://newtrajectory.blogspot.com
There's a reason that guns are called equalizers. They allow the physically weak to defend themselves from the strong. That isn't fear; it's reality. Take away guns, and you're left with the rule of the biggest bully.
Regarding the "22 times more likely" claim, that's based on faulty use of data. I take the time to understand my guns, and they don't hurt me.
Post a Comment