The Best Weapon by Snøhetta
Channel: A As Architecture
Date: 2019-10-03

Snøhetta has designed an installation which is currently showcased the UN Headquarters Plaza in New York City as a symbol of diplomacy and dialogue. Commissioned by the Nobel Peace Center, the piece is titled “The Best Weapon” after Nelson Mandela’s historic quote “The best weapon is to sit down and talk”.  The installation pays tribute to past Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their efforts to bring people together to find effective solutions for peace. 

Designed as a partial circle that meets the ground at its lowest point, the gentle arc of the bench pulls those sitting on it closer together, subsequently and subtly encouraging dialogue. The Best Weapon delivers a message of peace and conflict resolution, both as a functional piece that encourages conversation and social intimacy, and as a resilient symbol that anchors the Peace Center’s mission for discourse and peace.

The installation is situated at the main entry to the UN Headquarters Plaza, next to the famous Non-Violence sculpture – a oversized Colt revolver cast in bronze, with a knotted barrel and the muzzle pointing upwards. The sculpture, popularly known as “the knotted gun” was created in 1993 by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd as a response to the murder of singer-songwriter and peace activist John Lennon. The six-and-a-half meter-long installation is made from anodized aluminum from Hydro. Source by Snøhetta.

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