Guns Become Musical Weapons for Peace
Pedro Reyes is intent on diverting guns from politics and violence into culture and peace. He is creating art as an antidote to the conditions that emerge when, for example, a series of deadly Barrett .50 firearms entered Mexico as part of a controversial US government strategy that permitted the illegal sale of weapons in the hope that this would provide a route into Mexican drug cartel.
Palas por Pistolas (Shovels for Guns) is an earlier campaign to curb the trade of small weapons. It is ongoing. Imagine is a new endeavor that consists of more than 500 pieces of artillery that were confiscated by Mexico's Secretary of National Defense. They were donated to Reyes so that they could be dismantled and reconfigured into 50 functioning musical instruments.
Initially, Reyes imagined transforming the guns into whistles and bells that would signal alarm. But then he discussed the project with former Bogota mayor, Antanas Mockus, who is known for his unorthodox tactics to resolve conflict. After this conversation, Reyes turned his focus to music, emphasizing its uplifting, communal powers.Then he chose the title, “Imagine.” It is a reference to John Lennon’s legendary song of this title, a globally recognized peace anthem. Thus, the work of art evolved from a confrontation with dread and violence into an optimistic vision of peace.
Now, enough instruments have been created with the decommissioned weapons to comprise a full band. In a recent interview, Reyes explained, “I wanted to liberate these objects from their demons rather than perpetuating their association to death. When the instruments are played, it is as if some sort of exorcism is performed on them, and the negativity they inherently posses turns into something positive.” (Interview with José Esparza Chong Cuy in Domus 962, October 2012.)