Soul Asunder, Sole As Under is an exploration into the visual representation of duality within the topic of Human Trafficking, focusing particularly on the visibility of victims.

The culture surrounding these individuals sees them as forgotten lost causes, whose plight is often times cast underneath the “societal rug”. These individuals are among

us and their pleas for help are trampled by both the assuming and the unassuming.

And yet for all the negative stigma they receive, their feet continue to lead them forward in the hopes that somebody will look past their invisibility and see their shackled hearts.

The expression “to be a doormat” or “to feel as though one is being walked on” is

a common metaphor that many people have felt. Taking this phrase and applying it further, doormats are typically signs that imply a sense of welcoming and function as

a place to clean and store footwear. In juxtaposing doormats to Human Trafficking,

it becomes clear that interaction with these mats means taking notice of the many victims who share this mentality. The viewer is then faced with two choices; either avoid walking on the mats and avoid the victims’ presence or step on the mats and realize that any attempt to remove one’s filth from their shoes means erasing their presence. The duality stems from the viewer being torn apart on a deeper level, to acknowledge and help or to avoid and neglect the calls of trafficking victims. No matter what decision is taken, the fact remains that their existence must be acknowledged and additionally, the opportunity for further discussion about the viewer’s own misconceptions arises.