PEACE CALL

If there is a single want of the citizens of the world, it must be for peace. But how do we interpret what we mean by the word peace? A lack of religious conflict? An inner calm? Political contentment? Global silence. Pause. Joy? And, can peace only be acknowledged after a war?

Fine Acts has brought together over 20 TED Fellow artists and activists, who have created thought-provoking works that explore the myriad of meanings of peace and how they can be communicated.

PEACE began in 2014 when armed conflict was escalating in Syria, Gaza, Ukraine. It aims to explore conflict imaginatively, intellectually, and emotionally. As we grow accustomed to newsfeed “horror stories”, the artists in this exhibition are asking how do we make the important issues stand out from the noise? How can we make people care?

PEACE premiered at TED 2015

A new commission, Future, by Alicia Eggert and Safwat Saleem explores the status of peace, with illuminating bulbs representing countries who are presently without conflict. The work provokes us to reflect on a global discontent that is often hidden from view, and encourages us to work toward a brighter future.

In Laura Boushnak’s photograph from her Survivor series, we are once again left to imagine what is missing, how the scene came to be, and how ultimately it could have been prevented.

Zena el Khalil’s on-going work, Hashtag Virgin 2006 -, is a series of wall hangings that embody the fragility and impermanence of the Arab Spring events. None of the elements in the collages are fixed, allowing for rearrangement, or destruction, at any point.

On a personal response, Christine Sun Kim with Jayne Kim present Reunification – an incomplete document titled “Organization for the Reunification of Separated Korean Families” discovered in their grandmother’s bedside cabinet. The work symbolizes both hope and resignation, it brings us to consider the notions of peace felt (or not) by individuals decades after events have disrupted their family lives.

Bahia Shehab’s Adhan is a sound recording of a female voice performing the Islamic call to prayer, a role traditionally held by males. A bold and provocative statement, the work is a call for peace, equality and understanding.

Jon Lowenstein’s Postcards from Ferguson are a set of photographs which provide a way to directly connect one another to our personal stories about the complex, often painful issue of race. Addressing racial inequality, Jon asks that we write down messages of hope for racial justice and send them to our families, friends, colleagues, or representatives.

It is only through genuine dialogue, empathy, and action that our world will improve. The PEACE project is a part of this process.