UPDATE (Dec 2016): The art piece has been moved and found a permanent home in the Hiroshima mayor's office.
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UPDATE (Jan 2015): It's been almost 7 years since I started, but my Sadako art piece has finally found a home in Hiroshima, Japan! It is on display in the Honkawa Kindergarten in Hiroshima. It is the closest kindergarten to the Peace Memorial Park. I'm so excited to know that my art may inspire a new generation.
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This is an art project I've created to memorialize Sadako Sasaki.
Contained within the fragile wings of these 2000 paper cranes is the portrait of Sadako Sasaki. A child victim of leukemia from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima, Sadako folded paper cranes as a means to become well again. She eventually lost her battle from a disease caused by a war that was no fault of her own. Drawing from her dedication to overcome adversity and born from the hope to memorialize and inspire, each grayscale crane serves to allow Sadako's story of perseverance and optimism to live on. A single origami crane stands true as a universal symbol of peace, but when folded and grouped into larger quantities, their overwhelming inspiration seems to flourish.
Although hatred and greed abundantly affect much of our world, it seems that compassion and empathy are spread thin. These emotions, be it love or hate, are universal, and not exclusive to any one creed; their potential lives inside everyone. This message is echoed in the fact that a folded origami crane can blossom from any hand. It is hoped that the solemn stare of the girl that materializes from within the careful arrangement of folded paper helps the viewer to reflect on the potential that lives inside themselves.