Artist Melts 1,527 Guns to Make Shovels for Tree Planting

In the city of Culiacán, in northwestern Mexico, artist Pedro Reyes decided to start a campaign to collect guns and melt them down into shovel heads, which would then be used to plant trees.

The community donated 1,527 guns, which were crushed by steamroller and melted down.  For trading in their weapons, people would receive electronics or household appliances.

The immensely successful project, dubbed Palas por Pistolas, yielded 1,527 shovel heads that were attached to handles and used to plant at least 1,527 trees.

It was noted that, of the guns that were turned in, 40% were automatic or military caliber.

In addition to planting trees throughout the local community, the shovels have made their way to the Vancouver Art Gallery, the San Francisco Art Institute, Maison Rouge in Paris and other places around the world to plant more trees.

Reyes did not stop there.  He also collected 6,700 weapons and turned them into 50 functional musical instruments for a project called "Imagine."

 

 

http://inhabitat.com/artist-melts-1527-guns-to-make-shovels-for-tree-planting/