Walking through the doors and into Front Square, ‘The Volunteers’ by Joe Caslin is nothing but eye catching. Massive in size and seeming to dominate the section of building it’s placed on, you’re left with no other choice than to simply take it in.
The use of white is poignant and starkly stands against the light stone of William Chamber’s Regent’s House. It comes across as pure in comparison with the lines of black, which seem all the more dramatic as the image is formed. It’s stunning. There’s emotion to it, the detailing in the clothes and the positioning within the figures that tells even the most casual of art viewers that this is not simply an exercise in massive building wrapping.
When I first saw the mural on Monday morning, I had no idea what it was for. On my way to use a printer, I was caught by the surprise of such a large and public piece in college. I stared at the women featured, and wondered what their cause was, because surely they couldn’t be passive in whatever they were standing for. Lynn Ruane kneels on the right, though the position seems temporary. Her stance is almost as if she’s ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice from the grip on her bag and the focus of her expression. Rachel Keogh is the only one to directly look at the viewer, her confrontation pointed as she stares at the most crowded entrance in college. Fiona O’Reilly stands in the back, with her hands placed on the arm of the man. His simple white arm wrap designates him as Health Care Services. He is the least decorated and the only one to turn away from the women, as well as the public viewer passing by.
Drug addiction isn’t something that many of us want to discuss openly, and it’s unfortunate that sometimes we need a giant mural in the middle of the city to get us to start talking. Still, we managed to open up the conversation, and I take comfort in looking at these women who are not simply waiting and watching but appear as fighters. They are strong and resilient and as I looked at them on the rainy Monday; hopeful for the future.
