Art Basel took over Miami this week, but perhaps one of the most moving pieces of art released in Miami this week wasn’t featured in a some posh gallery with a polished concrete floor, but on the streets of the Wynwood art district.
Artist Eduardo Kobra, well known in the street art scene for his massive, colorful murals, turned Yoda from Star Wars into an activist for peace, holding a stop sign written with the movie’s iconic font. “Stop Wars,” the sign reads.
The piece comes at a critical time in America after a recent mass shooting that occurred in San Bernardino on Wednesday, December 2, 2015, leaving 14 dead. The attack has resulted in subsequent push for harsher gun laws from many.
“IOTD” is image of the day, a concept I came up with. I teach visual meditative therapy – or in easy terms – a mini mental holiday. For some people it is very difficult for them to get their image right. I post an image a day for people to use in their mini mental vacay. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are just beautiful!”
Refugees’ life jackets are transformed into message of peace on the Greek island of Lesbos
~Megan Specia~
A bright orange peace sign appeared on a hillside on the Greek island of Lesbos on New Year’s Day, transforming a growing pile of life jackets discarded by refugees arriving on the island into a message to the world.
Dozens of Greenpeace and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) volunteers and local supporters teamed up to create the massive peace sign Friday, January 1, 2016, on a hillside overlooking the small strait between Greece and Turkey that has become a main passageway for those fleeing to Europe.
Made up of more than 3,000 life jackets and built by dozens of volunteers, the sign is a way to honor those who have made the journey and to urge peace in the new year, according to Greenpeace.
~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~
Google Images
AJ+ YouTube Channel
~~GALLERY~~
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Those involved in the project are calling for safe passage to those fleeing war, poverty and oppression.
Thousands of people arrive on the island of Lesbos daily, packed into flimsy rubber dinghies and wooden fishing boats. Most are refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Africa.
More than 1 million migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe by crossing the Mediterranean in the past 12 months. Another 3,700 people perished in the sea last year while attempting the crossing.
In October and November, so many bodies had washed up on Lesbos that the local morgue ran out of space to house the dead. Tragic scenes played out weekly as ad hoc rescue efforts led by local and international volunteers were unable to deal with the sheer scale of new arrivals.
The life jackets have been slowly piling up in a dump on the island, near the town of Molyvos.
As those who do manage to make it to shore quickly move further on into Europe, their life jackets stay behind as a growing reminder of the movement of people through the area, as well as the lives that have been lost.
Over 100 volunteers from Greenpeace, MSF, and other organizations just kicked off 2016 with more compassion and grace than ever.
Designed to be a message of hope, 3,000 abandoned life jackets were arranged in the shape of a peace sign on the Greek island Lesbos where thousands of refugees arrived in 2015 seeking solace.
We ALL are connected through HUMANITY!!
~Large Peace Sign Made Of Thousands Of Refugees’ Life Jackets~
`Published on Jan 5, 2016~
Thousands of lifejackets left behind by refugees on the Greek coast were used to create a large peace sign.
Out of the hatred, impulsiveness, greed, stupidity of more than a few in America, we seem to be again perilously very closely to the precipice of another war.
My thinking process must be limited because I don’t see the logic behind their actions.
When you look at these graphics, we don’t see any difference between the land masses.
Please …. PEACE!!!
~~GALLERY~~
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“From A Distance”
From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.
From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It’s the voice of hope, it’s the voice of peace,
it’s the voice of every man.
From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.
From a distance we are instruments
marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
They’re the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.
From a distance you look like my friend,
even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
what all this fighting is for.
Playing for Change is a multimedia music project, created by the American producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson with his Timeless Media Group, that seeks to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. Playing For Change also created a separate non-profit organization called the Playing For Change Foundation, which builds music schools for children around the world.
~~Origin~~
Playing For Change was born in 2002 as a shared vision between co-founders, Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroenke, to hit the streets of America with a mobile recording studio and cameras in search of inspiration and the heartbeat of the people. Producers Mark Johnson and Enzo Buono, traveled around the world to places including New Orleans, Barcelona, South Africa, India, Nepal, the Middle East and Ireland.
Using mobile recording equipment, the duo recorded local musicians performing the same song, interpreted in their own style. Among the artists participating or openly involved in the project are Vusi Mahlasela, Louis Mhlanga, Clarence Bekker, Tal Ben Ari (Tula), Bono, Keb’ Mo’, David Broza, Manu Chao and Grandpa Elliott. This musical journey resulted in the award-winning documentary, “A Cinematic Discovery of Street Musicians.”
~LA TIERRA DEL OLVIDO~
This video features over 75 musicians across the country of Colombia. Throughout our journey we have learned that music is the greatest tool for healing broken countries, cultures and hearts. With this video we set out to unite and inspire the people of Colombia so they can move forward from years of conflict and create a positive future. Listen to the music, see the smiling faces, and remember that we are going to make it as a human race!!
La Tierra del Olvido was produced in partnership with the Americas Business Council Foundation (Natalia Mejia, Manuela Mejia and Fernando Rodriguez-Vila).
This song unites over 80 musicians across the nation of Colombia and offers a peaceful moment in the nation’s 50-year war.
No matter how much division and struggle we face in life, we can always persevere with the power of music and love.
We are proud to share a new video titled, “La Tierra Del Olvido” (The Land of The Forgotten), featured on our PFC 2 CD/DVD. This video features over 80 musicians across the country of Colombia. Throughout our journey we have learned that music is the greatest tool for healing broken countries, cultures and hearts.
With this video we set our to unite and inspire the people of Colombia so they can move forward from years of conflict and create a positive future. Listen to the music, see the smiling faces and remember we are going to make it as a human race!!
It Is What It Is 