Smoking Children by Frieke Janssens.
“A YouTube video of a chainsmoking Indonesian toddler inspired me to create this series, “Smoking Kids”. The video highlighted the cultural differences between the east and west, and questioned notions of smoking being a mainly adult activity. Adult smokers are the societal norm, so I wanted to isolate the viewer’s focus upon the issue of smoking itself. I felt that children smoking would have a surreal impact upon the viewer and compel them to truly see the acts of smoking rather than making assumptions about the person doing the act. ”
There were no real cigarettes on set. Instead, chalk and sticks of cheese were uses as props, while candles and incense provided the smoke.
You can see the making of video here and see more pictures of this project at the artist’s website here.