2 • "Refugee International" , This Side Up!, Taliaferro Jones, 1999
This politically orientated installation was created for a United States fundraising event for Refugees International (RI) in July 1999. RI board member and world renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. generously sponsored the installation. Three interdisciplinary American artists collaborated on the piece: Oliver Nikolich, a former Yugoslav citizen (Storming Talent, TSU 5/99), Jeremy Keller, and myself, Taliaferro Jones (Storming Talent, TSU 6/99). The installation consisted of 350 tiles with images and 350 cast aluminum vegetables divided into 4 rows of 4 feet by 22 feet. Each guest participated with the installation, as they harvested the vegetables at the close of the evening.
To a country that has not witnessed war in generations, its ravages seem distant and abstract. The destruction of everyday conveniences like the freedom to choose where to live, the feeling of security, and the control of one's life seems unquestionable. The food in this installation symbolizes the suffering of refugees across the world Ð it is a preserved image of the simple luxuries many take for granted. The vegetables: carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and peppers are the staple of the Eastern European diet. The images are of people caught in the difficult life of the former Yugoslavia, especially Kosovo.
These pieces embody the generosity of Refugees International and it's contributors. At the fund-raiser, as a thank you, and as a constant reminder of the continued need in the Kosovo region and elsewhere, we offered each guest one of the vegetables.
Refugees International (RI) is an independent advocacy organization which serves refugees, displaced persons, and vulnerable people around the world. Founded in response to the forced repatriation of tens of thousands of Indochinese refugees in 1979, RI has earned an international reputation for responding quickly to mobilize live-saving help of the victims of humanitarian crises. RI assures that critical humanitarian issues are on the policy agenda of an often indifferent or distracted international community. In Kurdistan, Bosnia, Rwanda, and many other countries, RI has galvanized international action to save the lives of innocent people threatened by war, civic strife, and ethnic violence.
Contact information for Refugees International: Telephone:(+011) 202-828-0110; Fax: (+011) 202-828-0819; e-mail; ri@refintl.org ; WWWsite: http:// www.refintl.org [Foto 1] R.I. Installation c 1999 Taliaferro Jones, Jeremy Keller and Oliver Nicolich, 4"H x 35"Wx 30" D, Cast Aluminum, Ceramic tiles, Photos [Photographer1] c 1999 Tapp Francke.
