Peace Exhibition

 

 

War and peace,

Dreaming about peace? or doing something in reality!

Thinking and acting towards peace or being silent and repeating everyday life!

Demonstrating these important concepts was a challenging task that after hours of sketching and thinking led me to design the “peace cycle”.

At first glance, the two opposite concepts of war and peace evoke the two colors black and white in the mind, and it seems that there is a long distance between them, but in the reality, the border between them is narrow and these two concepts are a chain that does not have a clear boundary. A simple issue, that is considered peaceful, easily turns into a big war, and vice versa. The border between them is just a "decision". Saying no to war or saying yes to peace. And this is a global issue that needs attention and reminder to take massive actions.

Therefore, I used two powerful geometric shapes, a circle, and a square, to design this exhibition. A circle is a form without borders, the circle is a symbol of the universe and unification, a motion without beginning and end, a symbol of integration, unity, and eternity. The circle is in contrasts with the concept of stillness and shows the concept of a chain of successive movements, unchanged and like to each other. And the center of the circle symbolizes unification, the center of the universe which represents the common beginning and end of all human beings.

But the square, just the opposite of the circle, is a symbol of stillness, and stability. The symbol of earth against the sky. A symbol of stability, equality, and brotherhood. And the white square is a symbol to represent hope in the heart of darkness and a path to spiritual realms.

Having a circle as the dominant geometric shape also encourages the visitors to move, and creating a hierarchy for the visitors, stimulates their curiosity of the visitors and allows them to stand in front of each poster, think about it and then take a few steps forward and read other information. And unconsciously, after studying the posters, they enter the central circle, in this section, they come across the center of the circle, which symbolically shows the common goal of this exhibition, which is to say no to war and achieve sustainable peace. For this matter, a white square has been used, where the most important statue of the artist named "Finish it" is placed there, and around the central ring, just behind the information posters, there are rusty iron sculptures on a white background. They are made from the scrap metal of war weapons and missiles. These sculptures, which have made to describe people who suffered from the war, while maintaining their identity and independence, have turned to the sculpture at the center with their voiceless scream and speak of the circle of unity to become one, and unity and harmony to end. To war in the world, to hope for the day when war will end, and the world will be filled with peace.

Regarding the graphic design of the posters, I should also add that we chose a move from black to white theme. The first sheets of the exhibition are about war, and they tell the truth of the world about war and its consequences to humanity and the environment, so dark theme have been used for their design, the second part of the exhibition is about peace and the benefits of peace and ways to achieve it. It is designed with white background and cheerful and bright colors. The color theme concept, and the circular movement around the symbolic statue "End the war" is a reminder of the empathy and unity of the people, a symbol of a movement towards peace, a movement towards improvement, and reviving hope.

In the exit part of the exhibition, by providing brochures and necessary information to the visitors, they are allowed to read more about it and freely decide what their role is, and how they can help by establishing lasting peace in the world.