Travel Safe art instillation unveiled in Odeon Park

City Centre

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/09/2024 (457 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Oftentimes, the loudest voice is art.

Travel Safe, created by artist Darcy Ataman with the help of several volunteers from the Travel Safe coalition, is a large-scale recreation of Turkish photojournalist Nilüfer Demir’s photo of the body of two-year-old Alan Kurdi, who had drowned, along with his mother and brother, in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe from Türkiye in September 2015.

The massive art installation is located in Odeon Park, the triangle of greenspace next to the Burton Cummings Theatre (364 Smith St.).

The art piece is abstract up close, but the picture brings itself together from further away. At the unveiling on Aug. 28, Ataman advised onlookers to cross the road on the side of the park furthest from the theatre to view it in its entirety.

Made entirely from donated shoes, once belonging to and donated by displaced refugees, and framed by backpacks full of artifacts carried by refugees as they fled, such as jewelry, toys, and the passport Ataman’s grandmother possessed during her time in a refugee camp, Travel Safe represents a grim reminder of what happens to displaced individuals — old and young — as they face the treacherous journey to different countries when their homes are carnaged by war.

The shoes were ziptied to a wall of nets and spray-painted with the help of Grafitti Gallery.

The piece was inspired by the time Ataman has spent in humanitarian work, he had explained, and “the last 15 years in high-conflict zones,” he said.

“‘We know you’ve seen the images on the news every day for the last three years,’” he recalled being told. “‘We know no one is coming to save us, and we know why, and it’s heartbreaking,’ and he’s right.”

“Many individuals and organizations have little understanding about the refugees’ suffering,” said Elizabeth Aluk Andrea, president and co-founder of Manitoba Women for Women of South Sudan. “I wish more people understood that refugees have ability, skill and dignity. They have significant reasons for leaving their hometown. Their contribution to the society (is huge).”

“Refugees play an important role in building a prosperous and peaceful and just humanity,” she added.

Also present at the unveiling was Izzeddin Hawamda, anti-racist education professional learning initiative co-ordinator with Louis Riel, River East Transcona, and Winnipeg School Divisions. He was born in a rural village near Nablus, Palestine.

“I want to take a moment and recognize all the children of Palestine, particularly,” he said. “I talked to my cousin the other day, and when he turned on the camera, I looked at him — 325 days of war has aged him. He’s 11 years old. So when we talk about this, we must continue to work to end the war.”

The Travel Safe coalition is comprised of a number of organizations who “specialize in providing assistance to displaced persons, both globally and here in Manitoba,” according to a press release. This includes Manitoba Council for International Co-operation, Immigration and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM), N.E.E.D.S. Inc., and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, to name a few.

The installation will be up until Sept. 23. It will then be transported to Ottawa, Ont.

For more information, visit www.travelsafe.life