The OBPP was first brought to The Peace Museum by it's creator in early 2003. The idea was to allow individuals to express their thoughts on everything from the concepts of peace and nonviolence, to current issues spanning the globe. It's cathartic nature was a huge draw for The Peace Museum as part of our mission is to allow expression through creativity. This project not only provided the artists producing the accordion style booklet that opportunity, but allowed our visitors the same.

Our most current exhibit, Nagasaki Journey, is a photographic exhibition chronicling the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. The pictures were taken by a Japanese journalist just 24 hours after the explosion rocked the city. These images are heart achingly graphic and show the pure destructive nature of this weapon on both the city and it's people.

The show itself can be draining to view as the color spectrum of the room, in relation to the black and white photographs, are muted shades of grey. Besides the enormously framed photographs, there is little more than a timeline and a few text panels with brief commentary from the photographer. The OBPP, not originally part of the exhibit, provided me with the opportunity to overwhelm our visitors with the reality of atomic warfare and the sometimes cruel turn human nature can take, but also give them a place
it which to contemplate the world we live in now. It provided a sanctuary, of sorts, within a room full of chaos and loss to purge the negative and turn thoughts to a more constructive viewpoint. The freedom an individual has when allowed to sit and draw, sketch, write down thoughts, religious scripture or poetry is evident in the varied responses and emotions conveyed on the simple handmade paper.

Artistically speaking, the accordion style structure allows others responses, which have been sewn in, to be easily viewed and illustrates the interconnectedness every person on this earth has regardless of their opinions, emotions, ethnicity's or religious affiliations. Visually, the booklet provided the only color in the room as each page was a different color and together it created a rainbow of soft pastel tones. This only served to enhance the idea of the booklet as an oasis, drawing visitors in at the end of their journey through the exhibit.

This exhibit, while extremely important in content, can often leave people wondering what could I possibly do to make a difference when dealing with something of this magnitude? The goal of The Peace Museum is to not only educate, but inspire individuals to want to make a change. In this case, the OBPP was just the spark needed to facilitate this endeavor. I believe that either on it's own, or in conjunction with another exhibit, this project is flexible enough to be incorporated in an array of locations and it's inviting nature, allowing for cathartic release, gives it's viewers not only the opportunity to learn from it, but contribute their own inner most feelings.