Debbie Chapman

 All At Sea - A collaboration with Adam Clayton from U2 in support of the Elephant In The Room 2023, an initiative aimed at getting the conversation started around mental health. Our response focuses on displacement and is informed by current global challenges; resource shortages, climate crisis and war. It recognises that our entire ecology and way of life on earth is under threat and humans, flora and fauna will all be impacted.

Adam is a friend of broadcaster and rugby star, Brent Pope who started the Elephant In The Room initiative to support mental health awareness in aid of the Samaritans. Adam has had his own struggles and is quite public about it so he was the perfect choice of an ambassador.

He was asked to choose an artist that he would like to collaborate with and having seen my work, he decided on me. Funnily enough we had met at an event two weeks earlier in Dublin. We had chatted briefly but were never actually introduced. So Adam had no idea that it was me!

It was a perfect collaboration. As soon as we got chatting it was evident that we were on the same page. We both wanted our elephant to be a conversation starter. There were many conversations to be had but after several chats we decided on the theme of the effects of climate change and human displacement. I am involved with Helping Irish Hosts, supporting refugee hosts in Ireland so this topic was very important to me. The definition of All At Sea is “in a state of confusion or uncertainty”. In this crisis we need to be able to turn to each other and help. This is also the message of the Elephant In The Room, that we need to be able to turn to each other and help by talking about mental health issues.

The elephant is being auctioned in aid of The Samaritans. Details of the auction which finishes on Friday 6th Oct 2023, can be found on U2’s website page