There's a quote from the movie Se7en that has always stuck with me, over the years. "Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore," says John Doe. "You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention."
That's precisely what California State University student Hannah Noonan did at her school last week, using her art as that proverbial sledgehammer that the sadistic Doe was referring to. As reported by the Turlock Journal, January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Noonan brilliantly did her part in raising that awareness with this eye-catching piece of art, which needless to say had everyone in school talking.
As horrifying as it is to even imagine, Human Trafficking is a real problem in this world, and events from films like Taken are unfortunately not as uncommon or unrealistic as you might think or hope. Human Trafficking, which is essentially the trade of humans for various purposes, is a multi-billion dollar industry, and Noonan's disturbing art display shows what it looks like, inside the crates that live human beings are shipped around in every day.
"My desire is to educate others that humans are being kidnapped and sold into slavery, prostitution, pornography, and organ harvesting," says Noonan. "I produced 'Crate Human Awareness' to make viewers aware of the conditions of trafficked individuals and to call to action a cease to this industry."
Good on you, Hannah, for wielding that sledgehammer and helping to make a difference. More with this woman who submitted to public torture to protest animal testing.