In Babies and more we have talked on occasion of the effects of tobacco on infants and young children. Well, today we bring you some photos that unite tobacco and childhood again under the same context.
Every year we discover a number of protest campaigns that want to draw our attention to a current topic in society. And of Frieke Janssens and his “smoking children” It has caught my attention quite a lot, for how it raises the theme of smoking.
The artist is one of the best-known advertising photographers in Europe, and this campaign is a personal effort to take sides in the tobacco war that has raged in the West for a few years.
In it you can see several children acting as adults and using all the codes of the language of gestures that accompanies the act of smoking (lost stares, deep puffs, the sensual way of holding a cigarette ...).
Janssens has explained that the origin of "Smoking Kids" (title with which he has given name to this project) was the broadcast on YouTube a couple of years ago of a video that has given much to talk about.
According to her, "The video highlights the cultural differences between East and West and questions the notions that smoking is an adult activity.".
For all these reasons, Janssens was seduced by the idea of taking a series of photographs that he played with the idea that “Adult smokers are the social norm, so I wanted to isolate the viewer's focus on the issue of smoking itself. I felt that the consumption of children has a surreal impact on the viewer and forces us to really see the act of smoking instead of making assumptions about the person performing the act ”.
Smoking lying
Although the photographs are of impressive realism, it must be said that never used cigarettes or real tobacco; instead chalks and cheese bars were used, in addition to candle smoke or incense sticks for the effect of tobacco smoke, not forgetting the effects of lights that help create even more realistic effects.
In case of doubts, the photographer videotaped the photo sessions so that it can be verified that the models had no contact with tobacco.
This smoking game is not so rare in children; After all, we have surely seen our children (or ourselves when we were little) expel air outside and, due to the low temperatures, pretend to smoke.
In addition, before there were the famous chocolate cigarettes (I say before because currently, and according to the Anti-Smoking Law, the sale of chocolate cigarettes is prohibited) that could be purchased at any store and imitate adults in their gatherings.
I don't know what you think, but Frieke Janssens and his “smoking children” They have managed to get my attention to an issue that is still on everyone's lips: tobacco and the fine line that separates the beauty of the ugliness of its consumption. What do you think of the way the artist has chosen to use children to get attention?
