a ripple in new jersey

woven peace flags with brass chimes - mjd 2013

the international day of peace has arrived. 

woven peace flags with brass chimes - mjd 2013

woven flags represent

connection to all

fragile strength

and the importance of remaining open. 

woven peace flags with brass chimes - mjd 2013

gently ringing chimes bring us back to the moment. 

woven peace flags with brass chimes - mjd 2013

and thich nhat hanh reminds us:

'the miracle is not to walk on water. the miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.'

peace is a choice,

live it.

A Flags for Peace book

Towards the end of last year, our local artists' group COMA (Collaboration of Maleny Artists) won a small grant to publish a photographic book about the Peace Flags local artists made and flew around International Day of Peace 2012.

We have recently published the book and have begun distributing it to local schools and libraries and elsewhere.

Here are some images from the book. Whilst we were focused on our local artists, we also put together a compilation of most of the international artists - but we may have missed one or two sorry.

If you would like to see a preview of the full book (38 pages) you can click here.

It is a beautiful way to share this project - for people to hold the book in their hands, read the stories and gaze at the flags...we hope it might mean more people join in this year. 

morning practice

sunrise

each morning when i rise, my eyes seek the tibetan prayer flags that hang in my backyard.

bathed by sun

drenched in rain

blown by wind

or covered in snow

each set is an impermanent, yet beautiful, constant in my life.

snow fall

earlier, i made these wishes for you, for all sentient beings and for me (i have learned that this is not an act of selfishness, but rather an act of self love).

om ah hum

may i be happy

may all beings be happy

may i know peace

may all beings know peace

may i move through the world with an open heart

may all beings move through the world with an open heart.

in peace,

mary jane

do you have a special way you begin your day?

a note from an artist

On Wednesday 15 August I posted an entry about Montse Romagosa and the sculpture she dedicated to the flags for peace project.

Peace and Freedom

Montse was really moved by the response of the readers and on 12 September she sent me a note so that I could post it here. It is only my fault that it has taken me so much longer to do so. I have been feeling poorly and things got disorganized for a while here.

So this is Monte's note for you all:

'I am delighted with the many interesting interpretations of Peace and Freedom. My intention is to recover objects of daily use that have lost their original purpose of being - discarded materials, objects that the passage of time and subsequent deterioration have turned into waste, old pieces of junk, things that have lost their meaning and their value - and to give them new value, a new symbolic and aesthetic significance.'

I hope Montse will forgive my delay and thank you for your warm interest in her work.

peace beyond dates

As Mary Jane wrote in her latest entry, the project for Peace is 'never - ever - over'. The 21 of September is a symbol, not a limit or a compulsory formality. So I hope you won't mind my posting the flags for peace created by our Spanish group 'Roots' today, on the 23rd. They set them flying on Friday, 21 September in the morning and I only got the photographs yesterday.

This is the Medieval stone bridge leading to the Town Hall of Valderrobres, where our ten flags are flying now and till the end of October.

As you can see, hanging the flags required some climbing skills! The intrepid Lilianne Cantó went up the ladder to hang her installation, an Earth globe made from barbed wire with branches of olive tree inside and a foam pigeon holding an olive branch in its beak.

The rest of the flags awaited their turn on the stone floor of La Lonja.

And then everyone got busy...

And the flags came alive...

Birgit Ploessner is a German painter who recently moved to Spain. Her lively blue flag is her first collaboration with our Group.

There is a poem written in German on her flag. I am really sorry that I cannot translate it.

Jordi Ferrer's flag installation depicts the contrast between the opposing forces of Peace and Conflict, symbolized by the white/blue and dark red colours.

Jordi is a graffiti artist, a video artist and a photographer. He was also the one who took these shots and our thanks go out to him through this blog too.

Ángel Vilamajó painted his flag on canvas and he didn't go about it the easy way!

The difference in styles and media speaks of a cheerful, bright dedication to the idea of Peace.

Jordi's dog. Not an artist but sooo peaceful!

Esther Hofmann is a Swiss painter who chose to live in this part of Spain with her husband. Isn't this coexistence of people with different nationalities a sign of peace in itself?

My own flag among the others.

 Silvia Sanmiquel's letter installation. It says 'peace is freedom'.

Francesca Payera's flag with the word 'PAU' on the background. 'Pau' is Catalan for Peace.
Ángel Vilamajó and Francesa Payeras run the beautiful 'Mas Marianets', a country
house and art centre that I blogged about here.

Ana Carreras' deliberately naïve flag, a world of joy and colour.

And the completed installation.

The Medieval building of the Town Hall relates Peace to History, our cultural backgrounds, the passage of time and what we all learn from it.

More Maleny ripples...

We have managed to track down a few more flags as the day has gone by so here are a few more sets from over our way.

First tho I'd like to start with the window display in our favourite book shop in town - Rosetta Books.  When we asked a few months back, Ann agreed straightaway to do a window display around a peace theme and I think it will be on show for a week.  What fabulous support, and thanks to Noela for the photograph, and for tracking down all the other images here as well (I am just the post-er person).

Here are Christine's peace flags - bright and beautiful...

Christine created these peace flags with school children whilst doing a weed printing project. They are a stunning welcome and reminder on the school fence.

Audrey also managed to make a great flag, despite only just having returned from a big trip. Audrey works with reclaimed feathers - and you can imagine the amazing stash she must have for this rainbow and peace dove flag...

And Steph over in Montville made an elegant and gentle dove peace flag...
which her dog thought was gorgeous!

Barry and Fiona's Peace Flags

My flags (weather-grams) have been growing on the tree for a few weeks now and each day there are more and more.

Nonetheless I wanted to record what they looked like flying on International Day of Peace itself, so here are the images from this morning.

Of course, a really big storm hit this afternoon, so I thought I should take some 'after' shots as well...

Barry's flags have worked out brilliantly. He took an old rainbow umbrella and re-worked it into a stream of flags.  They handled the downpour and wind really well and are still flying happily.

I had also made an indoor set, but thought they were bright and breezy and could maybe hang outside this morning, so we did.

After hearing thunder grumbling and watching the sky darken, we took them inside this afternoon and here is how they now look - another 'after the storm' shot!

I think it's interesting that our peace flags have generally survived the storm. Some have fallen, but most remain on the tree. Barry's are really resilient and my other ones just needed a little hand to keep going strong.

A nice little way to think about peace on this day...

Go well and with peace.

Maleny ripples of peace

On this side of the world we get to start the ball rolling on  International Day of Peace itself, so here are the first images from Maleny, Queensland, Australia.

Our friend Ken put out the call for local artists to get involved in the Flags for Peace project and we have had some beautiful flags created as result.  We are hoping to get good photographs of them all and then create a book of images to remind us of peace and to share peace around a bit more.

Here are some of the Maleny flags, flying proudly today on International Day of Peace...

Mieke van Sambeeck's ceramic flags hanging on bamboo rod against some corrugated iron.

Noela Mill's peace banners draped off her verandah. These flags can be seen from the road and as people drive by they are beautifully noticeable. She has written peace in English, Japanese, Tibetan and Arabic.

Kim Schoenberger's rusty rural peace flags.  Kim has had the letters cut by water-jet through the rusted metal.

The guy who cut Kim's metal, Steve Powell, also made some flags - his are cut from experimenting with water jet cutting different fired clay bodies.

Ken Munsie's earth bound flags are bright and beautiful and uplifting.

Hopefully there will be more to come through the day...

Peace.