Harrier and Jaguar By Fiona Banner

"Two fighter jets that have seen active service have been turned into art in a new commission for Tate Britain.
Fiona Banner's work sees a Sea Harrier suspended vertically from floor to ceiling like a trussed bird. In an adjoining gallery, a stripped and polished Jaguar jet plane lies belly-up on the floor."

Banner has hand-painted the aircraft's surface with feather markings.
The Sepecat Jaguar saw action in the Gulf in Operation Desert Storm in 1990-91.
At the time, one of the pilots painted the cartoon character Buster Gonad and his Unfeasibly Large Testicles (from Viz comic) on the nose of the plane. The aircraft is last believed to have flown in 2006.

"Banner has stripped the aircraft to reveal a mirrored, metallic surface.
"The Jaguar's polish is important because you see yourself reflected in it - you can't detach yourself from the object," she said.
Harrier and Jaguar runs until 3 January at Tate Britain."

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