For the past several years Cincinnati-based multi-media artist Jen Edwards has been working on her sculptural series of crocheted iconic firearms entitled “A Loaded Conversation.”
For this newer body of work, the artist researched infamous guns from a historic lens and reexamines their pragmatic purposes—crafting them in precious and precise detail out of needle and yarn.
With the intention to open a conversation around issues of gun control and the 2nd Amendment, Edwards recreated in life-size scale firearms that were intended for use in more than a dozen different categories, including hunting, military, and cinema.
“What I’ve noticed,” Edwards says, “is a lack of constructive conversation between these polarizing viewpoints.”
Edwards hopes then, that by submitting the subject to her crocheted, soft sculpture format, the effect will be absurd enough to “disarm” the viewer—allowing for more nuanced conversation to occur amongst viewers who hold conflicting opinions.
“If necessity is the mother of invention, then guns often speak to the historical realities of life in the past. My hope is that looking at these objects will allow viewers to appreciate the craftsmanship and ingenuity of gun makers.”
Photo credits Rob Wolpert Cover
Marty Vincent
For this newer body of work, the artist researched infamous guns from a historic lens and reexamines their pragmatic purposes—crafting them in precious and precise detail out of needle and yarn.
With the intention to open a conversation around issues of gun control and the 2nd Amendment, Edwards recreated in life-size scale firearms that were intended for use in more than a dozen different categories, including hunting, military, and cinema.
“What I’ve noticed,” Edwards says, “is a lack of constructive conversation between these polarizing viewpoints.”
Edwards hopes then, that by submitting the subject to her crocheted, soft sculpture format, the effect will be absurd enough to “disarm” the viewer—allowing for more nuanced conversation to occur amongst viewers who hold conflicting opinions.
“If necessity is the mother of invention, then guns often speak to the historical realities of life in the past. My hope is that looking at these objects will allow viewers to appreciate the craftsmanship and ingenuity of gun makers.”
Photo credits Rob Wolpert Cover
Marty Vincent