Look Up & Transform the Target
On August 6th, 1945 at 8:15am, the T-junction bridge at Peace Park was how the pilots targeted Hiroshima and dropped the A-bomb. On August 4th, a group of volunteers lined the same area to “transform the target” and look up at the skies while helicopters circled over our heads taking pictures.
It was really powerful being a part of the group on the bridge looking up at the sky and recreating the target to link our present with Hiroshima’s tragic past.
A Hibakusha (survivor of the bomb) in the group introduced himself to me and told me he visited the bridge on August 7th, 1945 and shared all of the horror and sadness he witnessed that day.
A woman wearing a summer kimono gave me a strong image of what some people may have been wearing at the time of the bombing and made me tear up. I appreciate all of these lovely people that allowed me to take their picture and share their message.
Of course we are all human and all of us will die one day, but I don’t think that means it doesn’t matter how we live and what we do that affects others.
I think remembering what happened in Hiroshima can help us be more peaceful in our daily lives and we can be more actively creating a peaceful present and future. It’s such a privilege to be a member of the Hiroshima community and be able to be regularly reminded of the importance of Peace.
Transformation of Target was sponsored by Peace Now. On August 6th, they will also be doing another artistic “WALK” demonstration project in Peace park near the Childrens Monument where you can add your footprints to a canvas in vegetable dye. You can also upload pictures of sky (anywhere in the world) on their website to be added to an exhibition at the Former Bank of Japan building (now a special art and event venue).
