Dave Cole

The Green Man: Knitting Machine: "Also on show is an installation piece entitled Memorial Flag (Toy Soldiers) (2005), a 5 ’ x 9-1/2’ foot flag crafted of 18,000 plastic toy soldiers wrestling beneath an impermeable glaze of red, white and blue. From a distance, Memorial Flag (Toy Soldiers) becomes an impressive display of an American icon, the flag. Up close, Memorial Flag reveals its source of texture – plastic men wielding guns. The flag complies with the exact specifications for an American flag as specified by the US Military and makes an interesting statement on the process by which the flag came into being and by which it is maintained."

my mother bought one of these 'soldier flags' several years ago... his studio at the time was in a warehouse building that my sweet friend Tim Quick used to live in and it brought back so many memories... he had small versions of the flag for sale for really a very low price and I'm an asshole for not getting one... they're great...
here's my mom's: