Weekend Reflections: "We Knit For Peace"

The weather has turned a little more spring-like again, and today I found myself itching to "do something", as in finding some sort of goal for my daily walk besides just walking... I still don't want to take any unnecessary risks, though, as I'm still waiting for vaccine, and the virus is still in a "third wave" around here...

From the back of my mind, something popped up that I had read about earlier in the winter. When not able to welcome visitors as usual, our Textile Museum decided to put one of its exhibitions on display in the windows of some abandoned shops downtown. I never happened to pass by any of those during my sparse winter walks into town, though - usually just focused on a few necessary errands. But today I did not have any errands, I just wanted to be out for a while... So I made note of the addresses from the museum's website, and went in search of them. (I only found three out of five, but never mind.)

The exhibition is entitled "We knit for peace" and I think it was the result of a project where they asked people to contribute works on this theme. There is also a circus theme involved.

While today was a good day for a walk, it probably wasn't really the best day for taking photos of things in display windows. On the other hand - you know I'm fascinated by reflections as well... So never mind...

 

Not easy to keep myself out of the picture, either... ;)

Do you knit? I used to do it back in the mid 1970s into the early 1980s - it was really popular back then. I even had some male friends who used to knit back then. Whether they still do, I don't know! Myself, I have not kept it up. When I started getting problems with neck/shoulder/arm pain, it no longer felt like a "peaceful" hobby...

 

Linking to Weekend/Street Reflections #12

Postcards for the Weekend – Peace

Maria’s postcard challenge for this weekend is “from a country you would want to live in if you have the chance/choice”.

The thing is, though, that I can’t remember ever seriously wishing to live anywhere else than in Sweden; and the only other country I may perhaps have imagined myself living in would have been England. And as I already postcard-blogged both those countries just recently, I wanted to come up with something else…

So for that purpose, I undertook another random search of a box of postcards from my past that I’ve been rummaging around in lately, but still don’t know how best to organize (or re-organize).

Now this one happened to catch my eye, and when I took it up for closer study, it made me think (with recent world events and terror attacks and general political instability in mind):

Yes, that’s where I want to live… On Earth, in Peace…

The card was sent to me in 1986 from a friend visiting Kiruna, the northernmost town in Sweden – situated 145 kilometres north of the Arctic circle, in the province of Lapland. The card depicts a collage made by pupils in a school in Kiruna. The photos and newspaper cuttings in the middle are all about children, war and peace. And on the back of the card this verse or quote (probably written by one of the school pupils as well – in Swedish):

“Put away all weapons – bring out peace.
Why doesn’t everyone help to make peace on earth?
[The world] must not come to an end.”
Dennis

I also found a few more cards from the 1980’s on the same theme:

From a Swedish friend on holiday in Spain in November 1982; but posted in Sweden (with Swedish stamp) by her sister, who had been visiting and took the card back with her to post.
© “Los Angeles Art Projects GMBH”; and printed in Germany.
So a very “international” card!

 

This one, with photo of a wall tapestry (made in 1979), I received as a welcome from friends/neighbours in Borås when I first moved here to live in January 1986. The card used to sit on the noticeboard in my hall as long as I lived in that flat (22 years).

The text on the tapestry is a quote from Martin Luther:
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces,
I would still plant my apple tree today.”

My last contribution for today:
A Prayer for Peace, sent to me in 1989 from a Swedish friend;
nowadays (since many years) living in Norway.

Prayer for Peace

Lead me from Death to Life,
from Lies to Truth.

Lead me from Powerlessness to Hope,
from Fear to Trust.

Lead me from Hatred to Love,
from War to Peace.

Let Peace fill our Hearts,
our World, our Universe.