Art / origami
1000 origami cranes made by Bristol children go on display
Upon first walking into the New Room, you don’t immediately see the entirety of this ambitious new art project, but as your view of the chapel opens out it is wonderful to see the hundreds of cranes, and the time and meaning behind them.
These 1000 origami cranes have been made in honour of Sadako Sasaki and her message of peace.
Sadako was a Japanese girl who died aged 12 as a result of the after-effects of the Hiroshima bombing. Japanese legend states that if you make 1000 cranes then you are granted a wish; Sadako’s wish was for peace in the world.
is needed now More than ever
1000 origami cranes are now on display at John Wesley’s New Room in Broadmead
Once reading about Sadako’s story, it is astonishing that she supposedly made the same amount of cranes that are now on display.
It puts into perspective just the amount of perseverance and hope she must have had to make all those cranes while ill, to show peace and to be granted her wish. It is amazing that so many children from Bristol participated and shared her story and her message of peace.
The 1000 origami cranes have been made as a collective effort by Bristol children in out of school settings with the Bristol Association for Neighbourhood Daycare (BAND) over the past two years.
Fifteen out of school settings have been involved in the project with some children making one crane to contribute, and some making crane after crane after crane to reach the goal.
The exhibition is free to enter
The anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing is on August 6, with the exhibition designed to tie in with this anniversary.
The 1000 origami cranes made by Bristol children will be sent to Hiroshima at the end of the year where they will be displayed in the cabinets that surround the Children’s Peace Monument in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
As part of the exhibition, chairperson of the British Origami Society, Tony O’Hare, is running two family origami workshops on August 8 and 12.
After the end of the exhibition, all 1000 cranes will be sent to Hiroshima
The exhibition, 1000 Origami Cranes, is on display at John Wesley’s New Room on The Horsefair from August 1-31 from 10am to 4pm
All photos: Sophie Granville-George
Read next:
- Peace campaigners commemorate 75 years since Hiroshima
- The amazing Japanese-style garden hidden behind a Bristol home
- Harry, Meghan, Kate and the Queen appear as street art
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