Pedro Reyes – Disarm: Turning weapons into instruments

Channeling a socio-political critiques of contemporary society, Mexican artist Pedro Reyes’s large-scale projects propose playful solutions to social problems. Disarm is the latest incarnation thereof, a mechanical musical instrument composed from weapons – shotguns, pistols and rifles – collected and destroyed by the Mexican military.

In a country notoriously ravaged by drug cartels, civil conflict and gun violence, Mexican sculptor and visual artist Pedro Reyes is an impassioned force for good. An outspoken pacifist and activist at heart, Reyes creates large-scale projects that are inspired by and aspire to social and psychological transformation. Disarm (Mechanized) is his response to the death and destruction brought about by gun culture and illicit arms trafficking. Built from weapons seized and destroyed by the Mexican government, Disarm (Mechanized) is an interactive, sonic art installation comprising six kinetic sculptures that double as musical instruments. Recognizable as shotguns, pistols and rifles, these former arms now hum, ring, crash and vibrate at different volumes and intensities to express elaborate compositions. The result is an inspiring and symbolic redemption song for the once destructive metals and a requiem for the countless lives lost to their preceding states.