A new art installation to support Ukraine has been set up in Oxford city centre today.
The installation, created by Standing with Giants, was set up this afternoon in Broad Street ahead of an official unveiling tomorrow at 12pm.
Standing 12 foot in height, the installation depicts a solider leading refugees to safety. The solider can be seen helping a mother and her two children, who are carrying bags of their possessions along with them. One child is held in the soldier’s arms while the other walks alongside his mother, holding a toy rabbit.
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The installation is part of a new initiative by the non-for-profit organisation called The Monumental Solidarity Project.
The project will see the blueprints for the installation made openly available, encouraging cities all over the world to create their own installation to support Ukraine.
Created by Witney-based artist Dan Barton, it was completed in just 12 days with the team pulling 14 hour days to make it happen.
He said: “I have been running Standing with Giants for several years now and I have an understanding that we should all be very grateful for why we have the freedoms that we have. We have those freedoms ultimately because people have suffered, terribly.
“Unbelievably, it is happening again.
“Historically you get imagery like this, monuments, sculptures, tributes put up after the event to mark moments in history. What we have got to realise is that we are all living in this moment in history.”
Mr Barton hopes if towns and cities around the world use the designs and create their own installations it will send “such a message to the ordinary Russian people”.
He explained: “It will hopefully just do a little bit to send that message and to break down the denial.
“There are lots and lots of ways we can work together - in a peaceful way - to say ‘hang on, there is something going on’.
He added: “We are very much honouring the bravery of those in Ukraine and we are desperately sorry for their plight, hopefully this will enough people to donate to the major charities.”
“Hopefully, bit by bit we can show the ordinary Russian folk that maybe [the Russian Government] are not telling them the truth.”
The concept of Standing with Giants sees huge numbers of life-sized silhouettes, often of fallen soldiers, placed in open spaces.
Installations created by the not-for-profit organisation aim to help people reflect on conflict and the people who gave their lives in times of war, as well as raise money for charitable causes.
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