The sight of cockroaches usually triggers one of two reactions -- paralysing fear or the urge to slam a certain manner of footwear on it with great disgust.

One Filipino artist however, has taken the dislike of cockroaches to a whole new level by constructing a miniature electric chair for a cockroach's execution, complete with metallic straps.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Source: Gabriel Tuazon Facebook[/caption]

On July 4, artist Gabriel Tuazon uploaded to his Facebook several photos and a video of his execution of a cockroach via his tiny electric chair.

In his post, Tuazon complains about how, “You insects are so dirty, even I’m dirty because of you! You deserve the electric chair,” and concludes with a declaration of the death penalty for the cockroach's friends as well.

Moment of execution

In the execution video, complete with melancholic soundtrack, the moment of the cockroach's electrocution can be seen when Tuazon flicks the switch and the roach's antennae immediately raises upwards.

Given that the fluorescent light bulb set up behind the cockroach lights up shortly afterwards, it's an indication that the electric current passing through the cockroach was quite substantial.

Made out of recycled materials

According to Coconuts Manila, Tuazon made the chair out of old plywood and tiny pieces of metal to channel the electric current.

In fact, the entire model is made out of recycled materials which took the artist two hours to put together.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1536"] Source: Gabriel Tuazon facebook[/caption]

Which does look pretty impressive, especially with its attention to detail.

After the cockroach's "execution", it was placed in an empty matchbox as its coffin.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Source: Gabriel Tuazon Facebook[/caption]

Not the first case of cockroach execution

Earlier, on June 29, Tuazon shared a post of another fellow Filipino by the name of J K Diaz Lumio killing two cockroaches via sticking them to a drawer and spraying insecticide in their faces.

According to Lumio, he had decided to kill the cockroaches in this manner because they had bitten his eyes, causing them to swell for two days.

Can Tuazon's work therefore be considered art? Or is it cruelty? Or could it even be considered justice?

 

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Top image via Gabriel Co Tuazon Facebook