00:00South African-born artist Ralph Zeman has spent his life fighting violence, not with
00:05weapons but with art.
00:06His monumental installations reinterpret military symbols to transform them into tools for dialogue
00:11and reflection.
00:13Even as a young kid I was very much aware of the injustice.
00:16I was brought up by my parents but also very much by the African staff who worked at my
00:20house.
00:21To see the sheer brutality that the apartheid state brought down on black people to keep
00:25them in fear and suppressed really made an impression on me.
00:30Weapons of mass production is a three piece art project consisting of replicas of an AK-47
00:35assault rifle, a Casper armoured personal carrier and a MiG-21 fighter jet.
00:39Each of these objects was covered with millions of glass beads crafted by African artisans.
00:45It was seen as a low craft, it was done by black people under apartheid, it was something that
00:49was sold to tourists and perceived as having very little value.
00:52I wanted to take those skills and those talents and turn it into modern contemporary art.
00:58According to the artist, each part of the project symbolises a different dimension of
01:02violence.
01:03So the first was the AK-47, it dealt with gun violence, it dealt with the proliferation
01:08of weapons.
01:09The second in the series was the Casper.
01:12It was designed and built in South Africa in the 80s and then they sold them to repressive
01:16governments around the world.
01:18So thirdly, coming to the MiG-21 is the most mass-produced supersonic fighter jet of all
01:23time.
01:24Ziemann believes that physical proximity to an object of war transformed into an art piece
01:28is an act of reclaiming power over violence.
01:31Each beat, hand arranged by hundreds of artists, becomes a gesture of resistance against the militarisation
01:36of the world.
01:37The whole world is on a knife edge.
01:40I think it's good to have a counter-narrative to all of this.
01:43In a world that's increasingly dangerous, I think these are things we should be discussing.
01:48The MiG-21 project has garnered significant media attention.
01:51Eventually the aircraft will be sold and all proceeds will go towards funding educational
01:56programs and art therapy.
01:57The MiG-21 project – From the Chinese
02:01The MiG-21 project – From the Chinese
02:03University of Oroch
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