More than 200 gravestones appeared in the Mediterranean Sea last month as part of Support to Life's project " Sea Cemetery," honoring the lives of all the Syrian refugees who died in the water on their journey to Europe.
Put together by ad agency TBWA\Istanbul, the project aims to raise worldwide awareness about the scale of the Syrian refugee crisis. Made with waterproof Styrofoam, each of the gravestones holds the name of a Syrian refugee who died in the Mediterranean sea.
More than 4,000 Syrian refugees have died in the Mediterranean in an attempt to escape their war-torn country and get to a safe zone. Crossing the Mediterranean became their last resort, and ultimately became the most deadly route of the 21st century.
Syrian refugees are still taking this same route every day.
"At a time when this part of the world has started to normalize the issue, the project reminds us that this is one of the biggest disgraces of the century, and reminds people not to normalize it," İlkay Gurpinar, chief creative officer at TBWA\Istanbul, told AdFreak .
"This is not about politicians. It is about real people like all of us who are risking their lives for the hope of having a future. In the end, we wanted people to feel this and take action."
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, 4.6 million Syrians have fled their homeland. Support to Life wants people to know the impact the refugee crisis has had on the lives of these innocent Syrian civilians.
"The more people respond to our campaign, the less this sea cemetery will grow. And, even if it's just a drop in the ocean, it's a support to life," the organization says on their website .