Mixed media. Various dimensions, 2013

Q: Where did the piece come from? A: A friend gave me some work-carving tools and there was this length of scrap wood lying around. I'm pretty instinctive - especially with materials I haven't used before - so without really thinking about it I carved one end into a pistol grip with this HR Giger-ish skull at the base, making the rest of it a wooden machete. It was really compelling so I hacked LETS GET THIS OVER WITH along the side, and called it World War 5. The idea persisted, and World War 6 came a while later; post-post apocalyptic - more ritualistic and alien. You sense emotions generated by a very different set of community concerns. Looking at it now it all looks a little S&M which I wasn't thinking at the time. But that's okay. Humans are all about the confused arousal states, and scary is good. It's where things begin. Q: So it's pretty Lord of the Flies in your studio? A: Yeah. We aim to please.