WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER is a two-part installation, the first part is a checkpoint at the entrance of the Stow building with a ‘bomb detector’ scanning passers-by for any ‘explosives.’ It is a reference to the 2009 scam in Iraq where a British man, James McCormick, sold millions of dollars worth of fake bomb detectors that caused many deaths.

Link to the article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-22267468

The second part of the installation are interactive IEDs (improvised explosive device). In this part, the audience were given the option to cut one of the wires of the bombs to ‘detonate’ the bomb. These bomb sculptures were made to resemble real models of IEDs that were threats to the lives of civilians and kids in Iraq. Surrounding the bombs are images of samples of educational brochures that were distributed in schools to spread awareness about the types of explosives and IEDs that were commonly used by terrorist groups in Iraq. The IEDs come in a variety of shapes, sometimes designed purposefully to look like everyday objects for civilians to interact with. The brochures were made and distributed both by the Department of Mine Affairs under the Ministry of Environment, as well as international organizations including UNICEF and UNMASS.

The work is titled Winner Winner Chicken Dinner as it is a reference to the video game PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) that was very popular among the youth in Iraq – the phrase pops up once a game is won. PUBG had a huge impact on the youth and many of them dressed up as characters from the game as they were protesting during the October 2019 revolution.