tang chiew ling imagines harmless war with candy + leaves
all images courtesy of tang chiew ling
combining ordinary objects and simple drawings, malaysian designer tang chiew ling conveys the heavy theme of war with a hopeful and peaceful aesthetic. illustrations of fighter aircrafts, guns, and granades — all typically used for destructive purposes — have been appropriated with humble materials like leaves, candy, and foods to redefine the original context. the series juxtaposes the traditional combat imagery with whimsical ones: a war jet drops dainty petals instead of bombs; coco powder launches out from a tank; a blossoming flower covers the explosive vessel of a hand grenade. the series, ‘harmless war’, proposes these objects in nonviolent circumstances, imagining a pacifist and sympathetic new context for them.
dropping almonds
a tank shooting out almost decayed leaves
a tank shooting out cocoa powder
spray out leaves instead of tear gas
spray out chocolate candy
a hand grenade made by leaves and flowers
a chocolate doughnut hand grenade
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