The Peace Piece

Windows at Chashama, 208 West 37th Street, New York City
August 28 – September 30, 2004

Photo © Risé Cale

Creative Time is pleased to support The Peace Piece, recreated by artist Adelle Lutz with Courtney Harmel and Sara Driver as an installation in the windows of Chashama from August 28 to September 30, 2004. Contrasting with the many vocal protests being organized to coincide with the Republican National Convention, The Peace Piece offers a meditative and visually powerful reminder to the public that the victims of war are overwhelmingly children and women. Using costume, video and sound, the artwork engages unsuspecting audiences to pause and consider how our country’s actions affect the current global situation.

The artwork was originally presented in 2002 as a sculpture, titled The Burkha/Womb project, in the Windows on Broadway at The New Museum of Contemporary Art in response to the military situation in Afghanistan. The public response was so great that Lutz sought to expose the work to a large and diverse audience through a mobile performance as war with Iraq loomed imminently. The Peace Piece, presented in March 2003, featured shrouded women wearing black burkhas, slowly and gracefully walking through public spaces in New York City. The burkhas were screen-printed with startling, war-related UN statistics: “23 million people live in Iraq. Half are Children.” and “90% of War Casualties are Civilians,” as well as images of full-term babies emphasizing the impact of war on children and future generations. As the performers walked through the city, they offered the following positive “metta” mediation to the world in contrast to the horrors of war: May you be healthy, may you be happy, may you live with ease of heart and ease of mind, may you live in safety, may you live in peace - this is offered to all beings.

“It is our hope that the work will present a fresh perspective on world events, encourage dialogue, and resonate within our individual and collective memories,” said Lutz.