Article 13

Article 13, wall design, 1000 sq ft, Arts Etobicoke and Amnesty International, 2010, Poem written by Poet Laureate of Toronto, Dionne Brand, and wall painted by muralist William Lazos.

Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.  (from the UN Declaration on Human Rights).

I was asked by Arts Etobicoke to create a wall design for a poem that Dionne Brand, Toronto's current poet laureate, was writing on Article 13 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights for Amnesty International's UrbanCanvas project.

In the mural, I wanted to evoke the poignancy of Brand's words through movement and type--suggesting water, borders, and freedom in a subtle and compelling way.

I liked the way that Dionne's poem takes stock of movement in nature and the environment, the passage of time, and the philosophical right to movement through our common ownership of the earth. Brand also poignantly touches on the dark underbelly of the freedom of movement--the hardships that people endure and, have endured, to cross borders in the hope of a better future.