Using guns to grow life

Mexican artist Pedro Reyes took objects of death and turned them into tools of life.
“There will never be enough trees, but there will always be too many guns,” said Reyes, who smelted 1,527 guns to create an equal number of spades.
Reyes, 36, is in Vancouver today to plant a maple in Strathcona Park, part of his ongoing project Palas por pistolas (guns into spades).
Palas por pistolas was born last year when Reyes was invited to contribute art to a botanical garden in Culiácan, a city in Northwestern Mexico with a high rate of gun deaths.
Reyes, with the backing of the government and a local philanthropist, encouraged people to hand over weapons in exchange for household items.
The guns were smelted, transformed into spades and used to plant trees.
“I hope there will be a ripple effect that other cities will get inspired to similar action.”
-jeff.hodson@metronews.ca