'Unwritten' A Banner for New Walk Museum's Santuary Wall.

A Banner for New Walk Museum's Sanctuary Wall. 

Two versions of the banner painting prior to its printing.

I was very proud to complete and deliver this hugely enjoyable commission for Leicester New Walk Museum today. In the photograph, you can see the display in progress and Linda Harding who is the Community Engagement coordinator. She has worked tirelessly to make hundreds of Sanctuary Birds, with many volunteer groups. The birds commemorate the lives of all those who have been lost in seeking safety and the ones who survived and found shelter.

My large print is dedicated to all the people who having been displaced from their homes, seek safety. The image is entitled ‘Unwritten’. As the men and women travel through the arduous journey, their fate is yet undetermined. It is not yet written, although the belief in many cultural contexts is that our fate and future is predetermined. That concept is embodied in the word ‘Kismet’.

In the piece, I also allude to two powerful prints by Kathe Kollwitz, who is represented in the adjacent German Expressionist Gallery and whose work so powerfully speaks of human frailty and the impact of society on the most vulnerable.