testament & covenant

My platform is no bigger than a soapbox, so my reach is at best minimal, and yet I carry a responsibility to use my voice. A message does not mean any less before it arrives at its destination (or makes it there at all, for that matter). Thus, I have a moral imperative—an obligation to stand up and speak out against witnessed injustices.

Art itself bears witness as both testament and covenant, contextualising an individual experience as well as the broader human experience. Over time, it may be recontextualised with new meaning, and in this sense, all art remains unfinished, affording an introspective reminder that so too is our humanity.

But it is not enough to passively observe or actively ignore. We must all be active artists to see a greater work flourish. As for my work, my art means nothing if it does not stand for anything. Developing creative responses to the genocide of Palestinians over the last few months, however, has done little to ease my heart.

So, here on this platform, no bigger than a soapbox, I make a declaration that I will not watch on in silent observance of the escalating events in Palestine. This atrocity, along with the complicit silence of all but a handful of Western governments, must not be normalised. If we do not stand together and speak out today, then I fear tomorrow may already be lost.

dlfoley