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Children Play on Tank. Beirut, Lebanon, 1982.

hobaotranbt posted a photo:

Children Play on Tank. Beirut, Lebanon, 1982.

Make-believe conquers the tools of war as children clamber over an abandoned anti-aircraft gun in Beirut, Lebanon, 1982. These tools of war became an improvised playground demonstrating the resilience of children. No matter how dire the situation, how dangerous the environment, children need to play. Whether it is splashing in puddles or climbing on abandoned tanks, their world of make believe is almost as important as food and shelter.

MAX PRINT SIZE: 40×60

For children the detritus of war can function as an improvised playground. Derelict tanks, planes and military vehicles are often reclaimed as impromptu climbing frames. Yet, although the vehicle has been abandoned, an undercurrent of danger remains in the threat of numerous unexploded shells that litter the ground they play on.

"The irony of children playing on an abandoned tank, as if it were a ‘jungle gym’ in a schoolyard. In this photograph, the scene is heightened by the explosive potential of the shells at the children’s feet." – Phaidon 55

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