Artist sells Ukrainian bullets and shrapnel from vending machine at Sussex museum

Jamie McCartney, from Brighton, has unveiled his latest installation ‘Peace Machine #2’ in the lobby of Brighton museum. After travelling to Ukraine shortly after the invasion began, Jamie saw things that shocked him and so he decided to create this latest artwork to help.The piece is a vending machine that dispenses plaster casts of a bullet and shrapnel from an injured Ukrainian soldier. You insert £2 and turn the handle to win a capsule that contains one of the casts and a certificate hand-signed by the artist.February 20 marks nine year since the invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the February 24th is the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Voices of Children Foundation has provided psychological and psychosocial support to children affected by the war since the start.They help children overcome the mental consequences of witnessing armed conflict. Early intervention can prevent a lifetime of PTSD. They are providing non-stop assistance to affected children and families from all over the country, offering emergency psychological assistance, and aiding in the evacuation process.

Jamie said: “War and peace, nationhood and identity have been continual themes in my work. “Peace Machine Number 1” I made whilst still at art school. I often incorporate casts of emotionally-loaded objects like these in my work. This is how my artworks begin. Something like this niggles me. It’s like picking at a loose thread. I find out what I’m doing and why by doing it.

“As I worked with these objects the concept slowly revealed itself to me. I decided there is something obscene about children playing with war toys. I remember being obsessed with them. But when you think about it it’s grotesque. Taking a child’s toy and converting it into something sinister as a fundraiser became an adult obsession.

"I converted an arcade vending machine to resemble a mortar bomb. Normally these machines dispense trinkets like toy soldiers to children. But this one isn't for kids and war isn’t a game. These capsules are an analogue for the ball bearings used in explosive devices and contain plaster casts of the shrapnel and bullet. Insert £2 and take your chances.

"When you hold these items in your hand I hope it will affect you in the same way it affected me. Peace has a chance when war is no longer considered an option. This piece is about all wars but its genesis in Ukraine means I must use it now to help the people there. I must make a stand. This is also the only place you'll ever be able to by an original artwork by me for pocket change! I would like to thank All Things Nice Vending for their kind support in refreshing the mechanism for this exhibition as a donation towards the cause."

100 per cent of the money goes to Voices of Children Foundation, a Ukrainian charity providing immediate psychological services to child victims of the war. There is also a Just Giving page for those you can't visit the museum but would like to help: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jamie-mccartney-ukraine-peace-machine.