I can't help but meditate on the onslaught of horrors I read in the news this week regarding the hardships of migrants worldwide. Water is a fundamental ingredient. A father and daughter drowned in the Rio Grande trying to cross the border. Insufficient amounts of water allocated to refugee camps is rampant. The discharge of raw sewage into the bodies of water near these camps are causing migrants to relocate. It is a vicious cycle.
As I sit comfortably in my countryside studio next to the River Seine it could be easy for one to ignore the rest of the world. I feel at peace listening to the birds chirping all day and the frogs singing me to sleep at night. But the reality of this is that at some point all this could change. Or go away. Pesticides used in agriculture and intensification of land use are linked to the decline in birds throughout rural France. Nine kilometers away from my studio is a cute village called Saint-Aubin, where the drinking water is currently rated BAD due to agricultural pollutants.
When comparing this to the conditions migrants are facing globally, it comes down to apples and oranges. However, in the big picture - humans who are in a safe place at the moment can do something to promote change. We just need to put on our thinking caps and do a bit of homework. Help is needed everywhere and every bit counts. I believe there is power in numbers.
Bread and Water series, 2019
Charcoal, Oil Paint, Stamped Slices of Bread, Graphite, Sand on Paper
Marnay sur Seine, France
Bread and Water, 2019
Charcoal, Sand, Bread Crumbs, Gold Paint, Graphite, Glue on Paper
70 cm x 100 cm
Bread print made from Pain Sans Frontieres - Bread Without Borders
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