Chip Chick
I get it, the First Order is all about unity and strength and the suppression of individual will and all that other quasi-fascist stuff. But do they have to be so devoid of style? I guess the all white-clad Stormtrooper army is pretty intimidating as is, but it’s a bit plain, you know? Some enterprising artists have found a better way.
Art Wars is a traveling exhibit that uses that plain Stormtrooper helmet as a canvas for creativity. The exhibit has been around since late 2013, just a year after Disney bought Lucasfilm and greenlit the new trilogy, and since then has been adding more and more works. We got a chance to check it out at CES this year, and we can now say it for sure — the Dark Side definitely has more fun. Here are some of our favorites from the exhibit, but there’s plenty more where this came from — you can check out the entire collection and keep up to date on where the exhibit is headed at artwars.net. You can also learn more about the Missing Tom Fund, which supports search efforts for the brother of Ben Moore, the artist and curator behind Art Wars.
‘Dark Side of the Dollar’ – Bran Symondson, 2013
Stormtrooper helmet, Replicated dollar bills, 310 x 310 x 325 mm
No question why this Stormtrooper does what he does. Our favorite part is that this helmet appears to be covered in Vader bucks, which give us a good starting point for Sith-Illuminati conspiracy theories that cross space and time.
‘StormOffSki 2013’ – Ben Moore, 2013
Stormtrooper helmet, Black velvet and Swarovski crystals, 320 x 320 x 330 mm
I really, really hope that someday, somewhere, someone wears this to Mardi Gras. Regardless, it’s Swarovski on velvet, so you know it’s going to be on our list.
‘Once Warriors’ – Nancy Fouts, 2014
Cold cast resin and spray paint and acrylic paint, 320 x 320 x 330 mm
This spray painted resin helmet looks like it’d make a pretty rad motorcycle helmet. It’s decorated with what look like military insignia and crosses, along with religious iconography. What we’re saying is, the Stormtrooper who wears this is probably a pretty bad dude.
