Experimental Book | Spring 2017 | Chris Visit
The goal of this project was to find an object and give it a narrative. There’s an ancient Japanese belief that a thousand paper cranes, grants one wish. My mother-in-law folded 1,000 paper cranes for my wedding. Ten years later, the cranes have traveled to four different homes and have been stored in the back of closets, attics,and garages. This project gave the cranes a new purpose.
Assignment: The Found Object
Sadako Sasaki was two-years-old living in Hiroshima when the atom bomb was dropped. Ten years later, she developed leukemia as a result of the radiation. While in the hospital, she folded 1,000 paper cranes and then started a second set before passing away. She only reached 644.
Today, the paper crane has become an international symbol of peace and a Children’s Peace Memorial honors Sadako in Hiroshima. There is a plaque at the park that says “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the World.”
Every year, thousands of people from around the world send paper cranes to the memorial. My goal for this book deliver 344 of my paper cranes to Hiroshima, Japan and to share Sadako’s story with my remaining 644.
BIRDS OF PEACE | Delivery
