Artist Manuel Oliver, who lost his 17-year-old son Joaquin during the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has created a striking sculpture depicting a child hiding under a desk to signify when a school is on lockdown.
The statue is one of 10 being shown across the country during voter registration drives, specifically in congressional districts where politicians back the gun lobby. The title of the project is “The Last Lockdown.”
The figures were created using 3D printers, an intentional reference to the debate over guns potentially being 3D printed. The desks are real school desks.
“We want you to feel unsettled,” the project’s co-creator Sean Leonard said.
Oliver and Leonard teamed up with Giffords, the gun reform group founded by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Giffords is a mass shooting victim herself, being left partially paralyzed after a lone gunman opened fire at a meet-and-greet in Tucson, Arizona, in 2011.
In the run-up to the midterm elections, the new statues will appear in cities including Parkland, Florida, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Denver and Milwaukee.
“It’s too late for us to save Joaquin from gun violence,” Oliver said. “But through art my family and I are making sure that we protect the rest of the kids out there.”
