Peace on Earth

by Anna

The word ‘Peace’ is lit up in neon above a case in our Living Worlds gallery at Manchester Museum; a gallery that explores our relationships with the natural world. The Peace case tells the story of a young Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki. It is a story of care, empathy and hope, and of building a peaceful and just world, springing from one of many stories of the worst side of human actions, the bombing of Hiroshima.

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Sadako was a young girl when the bomb dropped and although she survived, sadly she developed leukaemia which was caused by the nuclear radiation. Inspired by the story of cranes being a symbol of hope and luck, she started to fold origami cranes in hospital. After she died her school friends carried on folding paper cranes, which have become a symbol for all those who wish to see an end to nuclear war. The Peace case displays a Demoiselle Crane and a piece of rubble from the Hiroshima atomic blast, surrounded by origami paper cranes.

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Manchester is a member of Mayors for Peace and Manchester Museum has been honoured over the last few years to be the venue of the city’s annual peace commemoration. With lockdown this year, the commemoration moved online, and we were able to contribute, including creating an online version of how to fold your own crane.

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Liuyi Ke, a student from Durham University on placement with the Museum’s conservation team, had shared her origami skills for a family event earlier in the year. She kindly created this video of her folding a crane, using the only paper she had in her house that was patterned on one side and plain on the other – Christmas wrapping paper!