Color of Mourning

Human Rights Series, Cast objects in Jesmonite, 300 cm, diameter, Artist’s Collection

Tiny Velcro sneakers acknowledge the iconic photograph of the Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi’s body that washed up on a Turkish beach, making global headlines that created an international response to the refugee crisis in Europe. (A study for Color of Mourning)

Contextual cast objects narrate the loss of life of refugees crossing the English Channel—the world’s most dangerous shipping channel. The crossings in small boats escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic as air and land routes closed. Arranged as an ironic mandala (white being the color of mourning in many cultures), the crossing attempts are symbolized by a sardonic life buoy, and the reality of cast dinghies and symbolic paddles. Weapons represent the persecution of war, and bones reflect mortality. Children are represented by the tiny sneakers and teddy bears often left where children have met a tragic end. Finally, driftwood with faces is emblematic of the waves of refugees arriving on English beaches. Desperate people deserve humanity and respect, not a terrible death in the English Channel.

The Human Rights Series offers a voice for those treated as less than human, and reflects resurfaced experiences of my earlier career as a young medic working at the Khao-i-Dang refugee camp in Cambodia following Pol Pot’s brutal regime.

A study for the Color of Mourning made from child-sized pelvic bones, and adult pelvic bones in the background. I cast one bone for each child refugee who lost their life in the English Channel. (This photo shows how I experiment to see how objects can fit together for the final piece.)