Ken Rinaldo
The Continuous War Train
20183D animation with 5.1 channel sound
Art Space IV
In the 3D animation video, a freight train carrying military Humvees, tanks, jets, rockets, and other modern weapons slowly passes through a sleepy town. As the train moves along the tracks, imagined but realistically rendered space weapons are revealed. This freight train, fully loaded with weapons of war, rolls on with no end in sight. In this work, Ken Rinaldo addresses his misgivings about the continuous military expansion by the American government.
The Trump administration recently announced the creation of a sixth military branch, the Space Force, by 2020. One cannot help but associate this announcement with science fiction blockbusters such as Star Wars. The American entertainment industry is obsessed with violence and war. Superheroes hold a special place in the hearts of many Americans and war heroes continue to be praised and lauded. Rinaldo created The Continuous War Train to examine the government’s continual expansion of the military budget in the name of safety and defense but at the expense of its citizens in the insufficient funding of humanitarian services such as health insurance and education. The Pentagon hires board members of large weapons manufacturing companies to become their lobbyists. Even if we believe we are living in times of peace, the war has never truly ceased.
Ken Rinaldo
Rinaldo is internationally recognized for interactive
bio art and robotic installations blurring the boundaries between the organic
and inorganic and engaging the co-evolution between living and evolving
technological cultures. He is currently a professor in the art and technology
program of the Art Department at Ohio State University, USA.
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