‘GET SOME COMPASSION'
Ethan Sheppard
In the year 2015, I got a tattoo. It read, ‘get some compassion’, bordering an image of a syringe. This would forever be a reminder that others, and sometimes myself, lack(ed) compassion when it is most needed.
The Calais jungle closed the following year, in 2016. A camp on the borderline between two rich and powerful countries, overflowing with migrants and refugees; 10,000 people at its peak. All individual lives, many fleeing persecution and terror and wanting nothing more than a safer life. I opened my eyes to it and wanted to learn why this was happening. The world’s eyes stayed closed? The enduring negative reactions. The enduring apathy. Questions haven’t been asked, let alone answered, yet prejudice prevails... Why are they coming here? Why can’t they stay in the first safe place they come to? They’re in a safe country already! Why are we helping them and not our own? Unfortunately, it appears these questions are rarely asked with any genuine desire for an answer.
A growing number of people seem to view refugees and migrants as the problem, rather than understanding the causes that drive families and individuals to risk their own lives crossing borders; or the government's failure to address the underlying issues.
A person who needs help, whoever they are and wherever they come from, is still a person who in need of help.
First and foremost, we surely need, above all, a caring response to those who need help? And we can care, in both big and small ways.
This sculpture is intended for a set group of people who need help; those without compassion. Those who need an additional dose to help confront their own fears, insecurities and absence of understanding. Perhaps by injecting some compassion it could bring the ability to understand someone else's situation, or enhance the desire to take action to improve lives.
'Get Some Compassion'
Ethan Sheppard
Syringe sculpture / spray paint.
2021
The colour gold is associated with illumination, love, compassion, courage, passion, magic, and wisdom.
Find out more about the refugee crisis and Ethan's work using the links below:
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