The Paper Landmine
Print Project

These prints are the result an ongoing project that began as a sabbatical research project in 2001-2002. The subject is landmines and landmine victims. The UN estimates that 100 million mines, or more, may be deployed in 62 nations. That's one mine in the ground for every 50 humans on earth. Every 15 minutes, somebody steps on a landmine. These "hidden killers" pose a constant threat to the safety of local populations long after the guns of war have been silenced.

The project involves making handmade paper and printing landmine images, facts, and stories of survivors and victims on it. In hand papermaking, we can make paper from used cotton, linen, or silk clothing — rags — as well as plant fibers and other sources of cellulose. I have collected articles of clothing from landmine victims (this means only a representative piece of clothing — something the person wears or wore — not from the accident itself), fibrous plants from mine locations, and the currencies of nations that make or have made landmines. All of this is pulped and made into the paper for my art. In 1996, I made a similar piece about the world arms trade printed on paper made from clothing of victims of armed conflict mixed with the recycled currency of the top ten arms exporting nations. This piece has been especially effective in impacting viewers and creating an emotional connection with them. I have found that paper made from mine victims’ clothing has been even more powerful.

 

 

In September 2001, I visited Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, for a week to acquire background information and learned about current demining, met people, took pictures, etc. There, I met with a director of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Mine Action Center as well as other people who were very supportive of my project and concept. In January 2002, I visited Cambodia for the same purpose. I was able to interview victims, obtain donations of clothing from some of them, speak with deminers and the Director-General of the Cambodian Mine Action Center, acquire maps and other factual information, and take useful photographs. Through a Mines Advisory Group contact there, a MAG deminer in northern Iraq sent victim photographs and data. In 2004, I visited Mozambique and researched the landmine problems there, meeting with victims and aid agencies. I have also contacted demining centers and aid organizations in other affected countries to obtain the materials and information I need via long distance. Clothing and information sent from Nicaragua has been turned into artwork. I continue to seek contacts in other nations where landmines devastate civilian populations, as well as with American military veterans who are mine victims. Recent contacts have provided me with clothing and materials from Angola for the production of more prints; other contacts may provide materials from Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and India. The twin purposes of this project have been public education to the problems of landmines and fund-raising for the organizations that assist the victims. Proceeds from the sale of this work have been and will continue to be donated to the Landmine Survivors Network, Cambodian Handicraft Association for Landmine and Polio Disabled, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, Mines Advisory Group Adopt-A-Minefield, Handicap International and other agencies that have helped me in my journey.

The twin purposes of this project have been public education to the problems of landmines and fund-raising for the organizations that assist the victims. All prints sell for US$500. Proceeds from the sale of this work have been and will continue to be donated to the Landmine Survivors Network, Cambodian Handicraft Association for Landmine and Polio Disabled, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, Mines Advisory Group Adopt-A-Minefield, Handicap International and other agencies that have helped me in my journey. To purchase a print, contact the artist directly at 2037 E. Manhatton Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282 USA or john.risseeuw@asu.edu.