“Flowing, Yet Never Enough”
Jessica Cam
Photograph
At Art of Resistance we love hearing stories of when artworks inspire change in people’s lives. The power of a single artwork, like this photograph, should never be underestimated.
From the artist:
My name is Jessica Cam. I am 21 years old and I live in Miranda, NSW.
This photograph was inspired by two Bible verses:
- All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
- Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious. (Proverbs 9:17)
The thing I love most about water is that it’s always changing and it’s never the same. At a first glance this water looks cool, refreshing, sweet and inviting. It makes me want to place my hand right under flowing water and take a drink, take off my shoes and play in the water. It makes me think of summertime, of water fights, getting wet and enjoying every minute of it.
After going home and reading my Bible I took a second glance at the photograph. The water no longer had the same effect. I felt called to change. Running around and wasting this water, tipping water down the sink and enjoying ten minute showers was no longer inviting. I wanted to turn off this flowing water and preserve as much as possible for our brothers and sisters that don’t have this kind of access to water.
This was a turning point for change in my life. After all, it says in Ecclesiastes that “All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.” Wasting water and enjoying it whilst our brothers and sisters abroad are drinking minimal amounts of dirty water is not fair. How would you feel if you were in their position and then came to Australia and saw this water fountain running all day?
It’s not enough to want or promote change and then do things that contradict the change you want to see. We need to be advocates for who speak up about our own injustices that affect more than just ourselves and our own communities. Enough is enough.
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