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Maralinga's Long Shadow: Yvonne's story wins NSW Premier's Award
- 7 years ago
- The annual NSW Premier's Awards for History, presented in Sydney on Friday 1 September 2017, saw one of our partnership projects honoured, when "Maralinga's Long Shadow: Yvonne's Story" took out the Young People's Hi[...]
The Art of Peace, Nagasaki
Section of a large mural by Art Club at Sakurababa Junior High School- shows the Fat Man bomb being shattered into pieces, and was painted out of their desire to eradicate nuclear weapons. Located in the underpass on route to Museum entrance, Nagasaki.
Nagasaki is full of art, and it is no surprise that the prominent themes are peace and remembrance. The public art in Nagasaki ranges from community arts murals by young people to large-scale sculptures in the Nagasaki Peace Park (see below for some snap shots).
Established to commemorate the August 9th 1945 atomic bombing during WW2, the Nagasaki Peace Park is a unique sculpture garden offering a tranquil and contemplative space within the city. The two central features in the park are the giant bronze Peace Statue (ten metres tall) to the north, and the ‘Fountain of Peace’ at the southern entrance.
The Peace Park is also adorned with statutes donated from around the world and has beautifully landscaped gardens. Each statue conveys a message of friendship and peace to the city of Nagasaki by donor cities and/or countries. Some of the countries represented at the Park include Portugal, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, the former USSR, China, Italy, Turkey, Argentina, and New Zealand.
From the elevated position, the park offers some attractive views. It was also interesting to sit and observe the many tourists visiting the park and interpreting the sculptures. The Nagasaki Peace Park is about 15 minutes by streetcar from the train station, and is next to the Atomic Bomb Museum and Nagasaki Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Also adjoining the Park is the hypercentre of the explosion and some enclosed ‘ground level’ ruins and scorched debris on display.
Fountain of Peace, Nagasaki Peace Park- the water spray is shaped like a pair of angel wings
Sculpture from St Paul, Minnosata, US of America (share Japan’s oldest sister-city affiliation) and was donated as an expression of friendship in 1992. Nagasaki Peace Park.
Sumako Fukuda Poetry Memorial, Nagasaki Peace Park. Sumako Fukuda (Hibakusha) wrote numerous well-known poems carrying humanitarian and peace messages responding to the devastation of the bombing.
Nagasaki Peace Bell, Nagasaki Peace Park
Maiden of Peace was donated in 1985 by the People’s Republic of China, Nagasaki Peace Park
Stairs at southern entry, Nagasaki Peace Park
Cloak of Peace (Te Korowai Rangimarie) from various cities in New Zealand, Nagasaki Peace Park
Infinity was donated in 1991 from Ankara, Republic of Turkey. Nagasaki Peace Park.
Flower of Love and Peace, contributed from Poland, Nagasaki Peace Park
‘Triumph of Peace over War’ from the city of San Isidro, Argentina. Nagasaki Peace Park.
‘Protection of Our Future’ from the city of Middelburg, The Netherlands (Nagasaki’s sister sister). Nagasaki Peace Park.
Close up of ‘Sun Crane of Peace’ from the Republic of Cuba, Nagasaki Peace Park.
‘Hymn to Life’ from the City of Pistoia, Italy. Nagasaki Peace Park.
Children’s peace banner: part of the Kids’ Guernica, an international children’s art project to create a peace mural generating about 300 large works in over 50 countries. This is one of many and was located near the hypercentre on route to the Museum.
More murals from the Kids’ Guernica project
Visitors looking at the displays at ‘ground level’ near the bomb hypercentre
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