War of the Worlds 

Achraf Baznani created this digital artwork, War of the Worlds, playing with scale and perspective to create a surreal scene. The chessboard and pieces are traditional crafted objects, likely made from carved wood. This is a labor-intensive process, steeped in a long history of skilled craftsmanship, involving the careful selection and shaping of the material, and the application of finishes to enhance their appearance and durability. The artist places a small figure within the context of the game, dwarfed by the oversized chess pieces, which are wielded by a disembodied hand. By manipulating the scale of these commonplace objects, Baznani creates a sense of vulnerability and the potential abuse of power, asking the viewer to consider the political implications behind the game. This image prompts us to reflect on the amount of work involved in creating these kinds of objects, and the social and cultural implications of the game of chess itself.