This month, in association with a special edition of TIME Magazine, artist JR will address the gun debate in the United States through a traveling exhibition. A mural will be presented in cities across the country featuring the artist's portraits of hundreds of individuals. The mural gives a face to the full and complex spectrum of views on guns in America, including gun collectors, hunters, law enforcement officials, shooting victims, emergency room teams that have worked on victims of mass shootings, and lobbyists for the industry.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
It’s a truly American story: 325 million people, more than 265 million guns, 35,000 deaths a year, and one 227-year-old constitutional right. To move beyond the familiar, TIME partnered with JR, an artist and photographer known for documenting social issues. In three US cities profoundly affected by guns—Dallas, St. Louis, and Washington, DC—we invited people to share their views, describe their experiences, and search for common ground. We met hunters and activists, teachers and police officers, parents and children. JR photographed 245 people to create this mural for TIME’s November 5, 2018, cover.
THE LIVE MURAL
JR and his team have created a live mural of each person featured in the project.
Individuals were filmed in slow motion interacting with someone else in the mural, creating a living artwork that vividly depicts the issue. Each side of the issue is represented by individuals and groups sharing their stories and visual interactions.
On a broader level, the live mural will be projected all around the country and will be made available to the public to use as a tool for gathering communities and creating meaningful dialogue.
Only through art can all these people with such opposing views be brought together.