A sculpture recognising the emotional burden of war and conflict has been unveiled at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The sculpture named "For Every Drop Shed in Anguish" is made up of 18 unique spheres of marble representing the blood, sweat and tears shed by veterans and their families.
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00:00 A different kind of sculpture to mark a sometimes unacknowledged condition of war, the unseen
00:08 battles that rage once the guns fall silent.
00:11 Tragically some after carrying the sufferings of war and service way too long, way too far,
00:20 having fought a bloody good fight, have died by suicide.
00:26 Veterans and their families were consulted on the sculpture, working with artist Alex
00:30 Setton on how to help those still living with that suffering.
00:34 Sitting with them, what came through for me was the common denominator to me seemed like
00:39 the blood, sweat and tears that are present in every one of the stories in some form or
00:44 other.
00:45 Droplets of emotion that now resonate with and represent Australia's veterans.
00:50 This sculpture serves to remind us that you are not forgotten.
00:56 The sculpture is crafted from Queensland pearl marble, chosen for its character, imperfections
01:02 and inconsistencies.
01:03 I actually saw them at the workshop and there was one in particular that had a really big
01:09 imperfection that needed to be filled and I claimed that because it was broken and needed
01:17 repairing which many of us feel.
01:19 The work is a departure from the usual bronze diggers and defence materiel, designed to
01:24 be touched by those who visit and to be a place for contemplation.
01:28 Those who reach out to friends because they've reached wit's end and they don't know what
01:35 to do anymore.
01:38 Those that just need a space to cry and cry and cry.
01:45 Something solid for those looking for stability.
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