West Hollywood-based photographer Brian McCarty has an on-going photo series called ‘WAR-TOYS’ in which he uses toys to recreate war scenes based on children’s drawings.
McCarty started the project in 2011 and has traveled to active conflict areas such as the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Israel to explore how war affects children. He works closely with humanitarian organizations and local institutions to aid in his interactions with children, who are invited to draw their experiences during interviews with specialized therapists.
He uses the pictures as references and recreates them using locally purchased toys, paying careful attention to the details described, and setting them in the actual locations the events occurred.
The resulting images are poignant and affecting, and highlight the devastation and trauma that children living in war-torn areas have to endure. McCarty has plans to take his project to Afghanistan, Sudan and Colombia next.
View his photos below and learn more about the project here.
[via Feature Shoot, images via WAR-TOYS]