Creating the Exhibit.
In making this exhibit, I encountered the problem of thinking of an exhibit that I can make or procure easily, or at least with things I have in my house. At first, I thought about procuring a gas canister and spray painting it to say sarin on the front, but that would be impractical as the canister would have to be carried to school. Also, the gas canister would have to be drained of gas, as the gas could be a potential hazard if it leaks. I had made up my mind to have my exhibit related to sarin in one way or another, so after a lot of thought, I came up with the idea for a gas mask. This would be easy to make from household items, as shown by a video from National Geographic, and would also be easy to carry. To create the exhibit, I used 2 soft drink bottles, of the 1,25 litre variety, and cut them. I then stuck the two cut pieces together with duct tape and then painted the mask black, to imitate the colour of the masks which the police were using during the sarin attack investigation. Finally, I attached a rubber band to the back of the mask.
The exhibit is relevant to my topic as it is connected to the most infamous terrorist act carried out by Aum Shinrikyo, the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. The gas mask represents the mask worn by police when they investigated the attack and identified the components of the agent released on the subway trains by Aum members. My research went into detail about the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, and because the police wore gas masks when investigating the attack, the symbolism of the mask is related to my research.
My historical question was: If the religious law of 1951 had been composed with the reforms of 1995 and deliberated directly after WW2, how would Aum Shinrikyo have been different? Referring back to my answer to this question in blog 11, there is every chance that Aum Shinrikyo would not have developed into a violent terrorist group. This is because, with the reforms introduced in 1995 to the Religious Corporations Law 1951, Aum would have been closely monitored by the Japanese government. Unlike Aum’s splinter groups, Aum Shinrikyo had the status of religious corporations, and this technicality would have allowed the government to keep a close watch on Aum. This implies that, at the first sign of violent or malignant intentions, the government could have taken direct action. The Tokyo subway attack could have never happened, and the police would never had to investigate the sarin attacks, and the gas mask would never have been used by the police in cases to do with Aum. That is how the gas mask relates to the answer to my focus question.
Because the mask represents Sarin gas, the mask can be seen to be symbolic of the idea of the usage of chemical and biological weapons over time. The first ever instance of the use of chemical weapons could be traced all the way back to 1000 BC, when the Chinese utilised arsenic gas to confuse and terrorise enemies in battle. Biological weapons were seen as as weapons as far back as the 1100's, when dead smallpox or plague victims were hurled over castle walls during sieges, in order to hopefully spread the disease of the dead bodies onto the castle inhabitants. These crude, early uses of biological and chemical weapons are a far cry to what many nations now hold in their weapons arsenals. Chemical and biological weapons saw the most development during WWI and WW2, with notable developments including the invention of cyanide gas, mustard gas, diphosgene gas and methods of dispersing anthrax, cholera, dysentry and typhoid diseases to enemy troops. The Germans were especially adept at inventing new methods of killing with chemical agents, and they were responsible for both the invention of tabun, the precursor of sarin nerve gas, and sarin itself.
Chemical and biological weapons were causing such rampant destruction in wars, both during the world wars and after, that there was an international treaty between the US and Russia to ban and destroy all their stores of chemical weapons. This is due to the fact that, during the Cold War, the chemical arms race was revived, this time between the two latest superpowers, America and Russia. Both countries feared the consequences of chemical warfare, especially the high rate of casualties that would result from both sides, and so the treaty was signed, even if it would end up being broken a mere seven years later.
It is inevitable that weapons of mass destruction eventually fall in the hands of people no one counts amongst their allies. In 1974, a lone terrorist, Muharem Kubergovic, was arrested for planning to release chemical weapons found in his apartment. 1984 saw the arrest by US federal gents of an anti-Semitic group possessing potassium cyanide. In that same year, members of a terrorist organisation sprinkled salmonella on supermarket produce. Fast forward a decade and we arrive at where my research started, Aum Shinrikyo testing and carrying out the first ever chemical terrorist attacks on unassuming Japanese.
Blog 12 Sources
During the process of researching and creation of he blogs and exhibits, I developed understanding of the rigor and preparation needed to conduct such research hitherto unknown to me. In essence, I learned how to evaluate and critique my sources, whilst also learning how to integrate these sources into my work appropriately. Another lesson derived from the process of research was to be punctual and regular in my work, rather than waiting till the last moment to complete it.
I believe my exhibition, though simple, can be connected to and represent a variety of ideas and developments over time. My exhibit was especially useful in the representation of chemical and biological weaponry, and was of great significance in relation to my research. My peers, through their own exhibitions, allowed me to conceive of an exhibition that would be dually recognised as 'cool' and achieve my goals of a meaningful work.
I believe the museum in itself is a good representation of terrorism. I believe the exhibits really capture the violent, destructive nature of terrorist groups. The large assortment of weapons and/or terrorist paraphernalia truly represent the danger that terrorist groups pose to a peaceful society. Distinctive pieces such as the Ku Klux Klan attire and the Muslim Brotherhood flag serve to increase the understanding of the observer of the need for terrorist groups to stand out and be noticed. The museum opens our eyes to aspects of terrorist groups that could have previously been overlooked. Terrorism is an intricate yet massive topic intertwined with human history, and I believe the museum grants a valuable insight into terrorism and history overall.
Though all these positive insights are well deserved and backed by the exhibitions themselves, if were to reattempt or redo the assessment task, there would be things I would improve. Though the museum covered many terrorist groups throughout time, I believe the museum would have been a more holistic experience if there were included exhibitions of terrorist groups from earlier history, such as the Sicarii or the Hashashins, to give an in depth view of the roots of terrorism. Also, I would personally spend more time and effort into my assessment, as to gain more marks and show the true potential of my creativity and skills.
I believe my exhibition, though simple, can be connected to and represent a variety of ideas and developments over time. My exhibit was especially useful in the representation of chemical and biological weaponry, and was of great significance in relation to my research. My peers, through their own exhibitions, allowed me to conceive of an exhibition that would be dually recognised as 'cool' and achieve my goals of a meaningful work.
I believe the museum in itself is a good representation of terrorism. I believe the exhibits really capture the violent, destructive nature of terrorist groups. The large assortment of weapons and/or terrorist paraphernalia truly represent the danger that terrorist groups pose to a peaceful society. Distinctive pieces such as the Ku Klux Klan attire and the Muslim Brotherhood flag serve to increase the understanding of the observer of the need for terrorist groups to stand out and be noticed. The museum opens our eyes to aspects of terrorist groups that could have previously been overlooked. Terrorism is an intricate yet massive topic intertwined with human history, and I believe the museum grants a valuable insight into terrorism and history overall.
Though all these positive insights are well deserved and backed by the exhibitions themselves, if were to reattempt or redo the assessment task, there would be things I would improve. Though the museum covered many terrorist groups throughout time, I believe the museum would have been a more holistic experience if there were included exhibitions of terrorist groups from earlier history, such as the Sicarii or the Hashashins, to give an in depth view of the roots of terrorism. Also, I would personally spend more time and effort into my assessment, as to gain more marks and show the true potential of my creativity and skills.