Banksy art projection, vigils support Syrian people

A memorable street-art piece by Banksy depicting a young girl holding a red balloon and floating upwardhas been animated and will be projected on international landmarks tonight during a global vigil showing support for the people of Syria.

The global event marks the third anniversary of the ongoing civil war in Syria and was spearheaded by the #withsyria campaign, which aims to rally support for victims of the humanitarian crisis and keep their struggles on the minds of citizens worldwide.

• Syria's civil war: key facts, important players

On Thursday evening, Banksy's re-worked image of the balloon girl will be projected on a host of landmarks around the globe, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

At accompanying vigils, red balloons will also be released simultaneously in public squares around the world.

As part of the initiative, the famed graffiti artist's balloon girl appears in animated form in an online video narrated by British actor Idris Elba.

Set to alt rock band Elbow's song The Take Off and Landing of Everything, the animated video shows Banksy's balloon-clutching girl ascending over civil war-torn Syria, passing destroyed buildings and citizens kneeling over the dead. As she rises, however, she is joined by other children and adults also clutching onto red balloons.

• Banksy work fetches $575K US at Miami auction

• Banksy sells original artwork for $60 in NYC

• Disputed Banksy graffiti art sold for $1.1M in London

Organizers have said their goal is to urge the public to pressure their political leaders to work towards ending the bloody conflict.

Mobile users can watch the video here.