Some say it’s tasteless, others praise it for changing our common image of victims of landmines. The Miss Landmine competition, now in its second year, clearly conveys different emotions. But Norwegian artist Morten Traavik, who came up with the concept of combining a beauty contest and the horrors of landmines, knows how to use challenging methods to showcase worldwide problems.

The sad plight of landmine victims in Angola – where more than 80,000 people have been maimed by landmines after a bloody, 20-year civil war – inspired him come up with this unconventional project. A beauty pageant, dubbed ‘Miss Landmine Angola 2007’, was the result, with a golden prosthetic leg as the main prize. 

Theatre trick
“It’s just an old theatre trick I’m using”, he declared at the time. ‘It’s the trick of the counterpoint: use two opposites – a beauty contest and women who had been badly injured by these landmines. A trick, yes, but it worked”. All for the sake of art and for the sake of the victims, Mr Traavik says.

Despite some criticism (most notably from a Norwegian feminist group, saying beauty pageants were degrading for women), Miss Landmine 2007 in Angola became a huge success for Mr Traavik and for the landmine victims. Worldwide publicity for the contest meant the participants finally felt they were being recognised as victims of an almost forgotten war.
 

Cambodia
Mr Traavik decided to take his concept to another part of the world where landmines still have a ravaging effect on society, Cambodia. Hundreds of people are still killed by landmines from the Khmer Rouge-era every year. With this grim legacy, the Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 competition has attracted many would-be participants, all longing for the grand prize (a custom-made prosthetic leg and a cheque – no golden leg this time).
 

'Tasteless'
The competition got off to a rather shaky start this weekend, as Cambodia’s government decided to withdraw its support at the last minute, stating a beauty pageant with disabled people would be ‘tasteless’. Nevertheless, Mr Traavik decided to continue the contest as an internet-only competition.  People from all over the world can vote on the website, which includes photographs and personal details on every participant.

The youngest candidate is 18, the oldest is 48, but they all have one thing in common: they are missing one or two limbs after accidentally stepping on one of the approximately one million landmines left in Cambodia.

Disco ball
The pageant is not the only art project Mr Traavik is working on. Earlier this year he travelled to North Korea carrying a disco ball (apparently to spread a message of peace) and he is preparing a project titled ‘Pimp My Aid Worker’, still in its early stages. The Cultural Council of Norway initially refused funding for these projects, but after a public outcry in favour of Mr Traavik, the Council changed its mind.
 

Photo by Gorm Kraage (at www.miss-landmine.org)