Knotted Gun

The United Nations is one of those places perhaps visited once (at best) by residents and perhaps not at all by the independent visitor not on a tour. I vaguely remember visiting and touring long ago as part of a high school trip before I lived in the city. The image of the United Nations itself has become somewhat tarnished as time passes with various issues and problems - enforcement of Security Council resolutions, bureaucratic inefficiency etc., leaving even less reason to find itself on the visitor's list. But it is still worth a visit. The large complex is unusually spacious for NYC and abuts the East River. In addition to the vistas and various buildings (which can be toured), there are gardens and outdoor sculptures. The work shown in the photo of a 45-caliber revolver with its barrel knotted is titled Non-Violence and is frequently referred to as the "knotted gun." It was created by Swedish sculptor Carl FredrikReutersward in 1980. A cast metal version was gifted by Luxembourg to the United Nations in 1988. The piece makes an immediate impression with its message quite clear. The inspiration for the piece was the death of John Lennon, a friend of the sculptor's ...