Christian Aid is set to launch a multi-media exhibition remembering the Asian tsunami on 9th December 2005. ‘Every time I see the sea...’ Life after the Tsunami will open at the Dray Walk Gallery at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. The exhibition will tell how lives are being rebuilt after the natural disaster devastated the lives of millions.
Photographer Time Hetherington and sculptress Emma Summers have been invited by Christian Aid to visit parts of Sri Lanka and India most devastated by the tsunami and to witness the challenge of rebuilding their lives.The remarkable stories of hope that have stemmed up amidst the disaster will be captured through their work as well as the magnitude of the challenge.
‘How do you help people come to terms with their pain when some villages have lost half their children? How do you rebuild thousands of villages? How do you prevent a disaster of this scale happening again?’
Hetherington and Summer’s work will feature alongside scripture, film and personal artefacts from Christian Aid’s partner organisations, many of which are based in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India.
The amazing and moving tales of survival will be seen through the exhibition. The exhibition will show how money raised from the British public which donated £400m after the tsunami has been spent and see what has happened in the disaster-stricken area since then.It will also draw on the memories of the local groups supported by Christian Aid in Sri Lanka and India – those who saw their friends, relatives and colleagues being swept away and those who were delivering aid to the villages destroyed just hours after the tsunami struck.
What has been destroyed by the waves last year is being rebuilt today and they are making sure their communities are better protected from future disasters.
The exhibition will open from 8 December until 3 January and will be free to the public. It will also open to the public on Boxing Day to mark the anniversary day of when the tsunami struck. Throughout 2006, the exhibition will tour the UK.
In addition, Christian Aid is sending over £40 million to 29 partner organisations in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
