Golden guns

The installation "Golden guns" © Shahram Entekhabi 2008

Golden guns, 2008, Installation (objects, fabric, and light installation 350wX260dX220h cm)	Golden guns, 2008, video 6:23 min. download a compressed version, fragment, ca. 3,57 min.

Golden guns

Childhood trauma and children´s early experiences with violence have an enormous influence on the individual in terms of his/her biological, psychological, and socio-economic development. It also plays a major role in the establishment of personality and temperament. The question, "What are the causes of violence in children?" is a matter of a great deal of scientific research. Often, emotional problems, social conflicts, the availability of weapons, and the effect of alcohol and drug abuse contribute to violent and homicidal behaviour patterns. While we do not understand all of the causes and their interactions, we know a great deal. There are concrete steps that we can take to recognise and reduce the risk factors associated with destructive and violent behaviors.
The video "Golden guns" by Shahram Entekhabi introduces two school kids who are observing the training of a para-military group. From there a mysterious story develops, influenced by the aesthetics of Hong Kong action movies. The story combines the Taoist ritual of burning Joss paper and the gildening of weapons and finally ends in a catastrophe. There are several issues laid in the background of the video: issue of military training in Hong-Kong secondary schools, the fact that Taoist believers are not allowed to have religious ceremonies in schools, and the ubiquity of the practice of burning Joss paper. the burning of Joss paper is a Taoist practice. In Taoism, the burning of Joss paper is an important offering, either to a Taoist deity, immortals, spirits, ghosts, or to the deceased. The type of joss paper being offered differs, depending on divine hierarchies. Each level has its own set of joss paper assigned to it. However, Hell Notes (Money), Rebirth Mantra, and ancient paper money called Xi Qian is never offered. These are reserved for ghost and spirits or lower ranking deities. The intention of burning joss paper is to offer sacrifice which are intangible to the spirit realm. When the fire consumes the paper, Taoists believe that it will materialize in the spirit realm for use by them. In ancient China, when an emperor died all his servants were killed and buried together with his personal belongings to be used in the spirit realm. This continued for centuries until this massacre was found to be inhuman and was replaced with paper as a sacrifice. Nowadays, the Taoist communities still make replicas, human effigies, in paper to represent servants to serve the deceased.

Directed by Shahram Entekhabi
Staring Damon Tong, Hung Faan Shing, and Goenitz
Project assistant Sheila Cheung
Camera by Bundith Phunsombatlert, and Shahram Entekhabi
Photography and editing: Sheila Cheung
With friendly support of The AiR Association Limited (HK), and Kowloon Technical School (HK)

Installation view.

Vidwo stills Golden guns, 2008, video 6:23 min

Photographs in Kowloon Technical School, founded by the Hong Kong Government in Sham Shui Po