5,000 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean last year (2016) whilst desperately seeking safe refuge. Innocent & traumatised men, women and children of all ages faced with the fear of loss of Home and the grief of deaths within families. This figure is a mere drop in the ocean of the many hundreds of thousands of lives lost and the death toll continues to rise as more wars, land grabbing, toxic pollution carries on; whatever the reasons given are, it is a devastating act on humanity. Have we lost our marbles! This plays on my mind and this single project, as with any creative endeavour, has taken vision, dedication, care & attention. There is no price tag on this work, as there should not be on life. It is my gift of empathy & sorrow for such madness and tragedy.

An old farming technique known as pelleting, which coats seeds in clay before planting; it protects the seed from drowning in overly wet soil and acts as a slow release mechanism giving more strength to the roots.

Each of the 5000 marbles have been made to honour each person who drowned. Inside the marble a Cosmos seed is harboured. They will be planted out in Spring 2018 as a living memorial, the Cosmos plant self seeds, continuing to flower each year. I am planning this event as a fundraiser in support of the refugee crisis.

Jackie’s 6 year old granddaughter, Lola, assisted with the making of the marbles and knowing her mission was to make 100, to encourage herself she said, “So Nana, let me get this right, each poor person who died will be turned into their own Cosmos, that’s making something very sad, beautiful.” She honoured the lives and made 200!

The first 800 marbles were made with the kind assistance of Freddie Foosiya Miller, Lola Robinson, Cherry Baum, Mary Ragg and Karen Hughes; thank you for your support.