I wanted to inspire peace

Did I fail? If so, where did I go wrong?

We called it ‘Let’s go (in)sane’ gallery; a selection of images from war and peace were paired, images that had a lot in common so that the viewer could sense that war and peace are close to one another.

Also, we wanted to hold the gallery in a dance studio, with large mirrors, so that the viewer would see themselves inside the frame, between the images. However, we only had 1000 Euros for the project, so we had to find a venue for free. The local museum provided that.

The large frames were made. Pictures were printed and organized. The location was agreed. We set it all up and invited everyone to come and see it.

No one from the media came for the opening. Several supporters went to see it in their own time (we had it up for almost a week) and they all said that it was powerful. And I don’t doubt that. It is one of my better ideas. It is about realizing that peace is not something we should take for granted, especially considering the horrors of war. We must apply ourselves to keep the peace while we have it.

We took the gallery down and the whole thing was forgotten in about two months. I wanted to do it again, with more money, more exposure, so that we can get it right and get this important message across. I was sure we’d find a way to get the funds. I was wrong.

Now I’m trying to figure out how and why this project failed so badly, as the frames, with the pictures still in them, collect dust in my basement — we had nowhere to store them, so I shifted some stuff around and made a nice space for them in my basement.

Am I wrong in thinking that this is a good idea? Or perhaps I just didn’t contact the right people? Or maybe this is the kind of change someone out there does not want to see?

All and any thoughts are most welcome.