My inspiration for this piece is What Would You Do If These Crackers Were Real Pistols?  by F.X. Harsono (1977).  F.X Harsono is one of the most respected contemporary artists in South East Asia, having been an influential figure in the Indonesian art scene for more than 40 years. In the 1970s he was a founding member of Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru and Desember Hitam both of which began to encourage people to criticise the government at a time when it was increasingly unsafe to do so.  F.X. Harsono painted What Would You Do If These Crackers Were Real Pistols?  in 1977 as a political statement. I chose this piece because the pistols represented by the crackers reminded me of the violence of a shooting that happened in my hometown in Scotland.  This was the Dunblane Massacre which occurred on the 13th of March 1996 and resulted in the death of 17 people. The shades of pink used in the crackers made me think of the love of those who had been lost.  I chose the number 17 to be represented in my artwork to stand for each life that was so brutally taken.  I repeat the number 17 three times in my work as March is the 3rd month of the year and 17 dots have been placed over my painting in a variety of colours.  The colour palette of the main painting is sombre to reflect the gravity of the subject.  To the left of my painting, I have represented the school building itself by the inclusion of some brickwork.  The rotation of the yellow number 17 and the chaotic effect of the painting represent the chaos that unfolded that day.