Liverpool artwork of the day - Tuesday May 15 2007. 'Smallpox Peace Cranes' by Barabara Jones in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral until morning of May 18

“Smallpox Peace Cranes� by Barbara Jones are being displayed at the Anglican Cathedral Liverpool till Friday morning 18th May, as part of the pre-publicity for a festival of health and well-being, entitled “An Extraordinary Journey�, which will take place at various sites throughout Liverpool from September 2007. This festival will be a celebration of the many advances in medicine and public health which have taken place in the city of Liverpool and the implications and benefits for people throughout the world.

The origami “peace crane� was first created by Sadako Sasaki who was just 2 years old at the time of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Although she initially appeared unharmed by the effects of radiation, she developed leukaemia 10 years later. As she lay in hospital trying to recover from her illness a friend reminded her of the legend that whoever makes 1,000 origami cranes their wish will be granted. She set about her task wishing for a full recovery but gradually realised that her wish would never come true. So she wished for worldwide peace instead and wrote the word “peace� on the wings of her paper birds.

Unfortunately she died before completing her task but her friends continued her mission and campaigned for a statue in her honour to be placed in the Peace Park in Hiroshima. Now every year on August 6th, the anniversary of the dropping of the bomb, her statue is draped in thousands of peace cranes which have been sent by people from all over the world.

Barbara Jones version of the peace crane has been made using paper which has been specially decorated with the microscope image of Smallpox virus cells. Smallpox was one of the diseases which was meant to pose a potential threat from Iraq to us in the West and played a major persuasive factor in our invasion and the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s leadership. We may all desire peace in a disease-free world but the reality is very difficult to achieve when our judgement is swayed by fear.