Suspended

Posted on 8 April 2021

Suspended was a 2017 art installation at a London church to highlight the ongoing refugee and Migrant crisis across the world.

There’s a baby’s bright red bib emblazoned with the words “My 1st Christmas Ever!” Among the other items of clothing there is a pair of jeans hanging upside down as though their owner is falling from a height. There are shoes, socks, mittens, hats and pajama tops with sleeve-ends intertwined like holding hands.

These are among 700 items of refugees’ clothing salvaged from beaches and olive groves on the Greek island of Lesbos. They were hung in an installation by the British war artist Arabella Dorman in the nave of St James’s church, Piccadilly, London.

Dorman recalls visiting the island and seeing that:

“There were thousands of items of clothing discarded by refugees. I was struck by the concept of the empty garment, evoking the hidden presence of the person who had worn that item. These clothes reveal what is now being forgotten.”

Arabella Dorman

Suspended aimed to bring the refugee crisis back into focus, particularly around Christmas, and to raise funds for the Starfish Foundation – a charity helping refugees.

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^{Images from www.theguardian.com/}