Possible Research Idea

For a long time I've been fascinated by this video of Fiona Banners 2010 installation at the Tate museum. It always makes me think when she draws attention to the strange relationship between the beauty of these planes and the nature of what they are designed to do.

"Some people find this aircraft so beautiful that they've asked me if it was designed with aesthetics in mind, but in fact it was designed absolutely for function and when you think that their function is to kill, that says something strange and uncomfortable about what we find beautiful." Fiona Banner

I agree that these planes do have a certain elegance and beauty. What appeals to people about the aesthetics of danger? Is there something else that contributes to the appeal of these planes?

Source: http://fionabanner.com/words/motherofbeauty.htm

"At Tate Britain the bond between weapon and ornament remains unbroken... So the instruments of grandeur and death rather ominously cuddle up to one another. They rhyme like lines in some empirical epic, which is unnerving. By letting them cohabit, of course we acknowledge that it's all about death. If we were all immortal of course we might make some beautiful things, but why would we?" Dave Hickey