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Photo series highlights unconventional, bizarre murder weapons

James' striking photo series Murder Weapons features 10 seemingly ordinary objects that were each used to kill someone. Ed James/AP Photo
TORONTO – From a jar of pickles to a pair of five-and-a-half inch stilettos, a London-based photographer says his photo series featuring unconventional murder weapons is meant “to unsettle and provoke its audience.”

In the online series the Murder Weapons Project, Ed James highlights a set of ten images that show the strange items people have used in real-life murders.

“I wanted each item to be unusually lit and out of context to mirror the way that the killers used them. The work should make people uneasy yet intrigued,” said the 43-year-old photographer on his website.

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James said the objects pictured are not the actual murder weapons that were used and instead he used “clean everyday objects as he  thought that this would best illustrate their bizarre use.”

Although the subject is a dark one, James said he would like to think that the final images reflect the opposite of what the object was used for and began researching unconventional murders.

“I found an array of horrifying cases, but chose not to identify the names of the perpetrators and only used brief descriptions.”

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Jar of pickles:

A 16-year-old killed a 55-year-old male with a jar of pickles. Ed James/AP Photo

Bowling ball:

A 14-year-old boy killed a five-year-old boy with a bowling ball. Ed James/AP Photo

Electric guitar:

A 33-year-old man used an electric guitar to murder a 53-year-old Texas pastor in 2012. Ed James/AP Photo

Spatula:

A 32-year-old killed a victim with a spatula. Ed James/AP Photo

Pen:

A 21-year-old murdered a 26-year-old female with a pen. Ed James/AP Photo

Spoon:

A 31-year-old killed a 38-year-old victim with a spoon. Ed James/AP Photo

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