The creators of One Million Bones describe the project as large-scale social arts practice, combining education, hands-on art making, and public installations to raise awareness of ongoing genocides and mass atrocities in places like Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Burma.
For the past three years they have been collecting 1,000,000 handcrafted bones for a three-day installation event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., June 8-10, 2013. The installation served as a collaborative site of conscience to honor victims and survivors, as well as a visual petition against ongoing conflicts and a resounding call for much need and long overdue action.
"We never cease to be amazed at how many people have only a vague notion of what genocide is, and how many more have no idea that it’s happening today. While we must remember genocides throughout history and honor those lost to unimaginable horrors, the current crimes against humanity we focus on require immediate attention and action."
One Million Bones is a project of The Art of Revolution, an organization dedicated to leveraging the power of art to inspire activism. The organization believes that art is such an incredible tool with which to engage and mobilize communities around a specific social justice issue. It offers tangible a way for people to connect to things that are not presented to them daily.
I find this is an excellent example of public education and mobilization using art and inclusive memorialization for aware-raising and social change. A great model worthy of duplication.
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