Cris Cheek, “Broken Code,” “A Partial Roll Call,” & “Copy Number 1” (multimedia)
Burt Kimmelman
Ritual
At night I undress —
remove my shirt, pants,
socks, underwear — stand
bereft at the pit’s
edge. Naked, I wait
for the stroke — then put
on my shorts to sleep
slip beneath the sheet —
and lie back, at peace.
Michael Ruby
The Wailing Wall of Köln
In the plaza in front of the Köln cathedral, there's a wooden scaffold with a huge banner, YOUR SIGNATURE IS A STEP TOWARD THE ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, and hundreds of cardboard signs taped beneath, almost all in English. These are the signs near a photograph of the Köln cathedral in ruins in 1945:
BOMBER HARRIS WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE ALONE FOR WORLD WAR II AIR-RAID ATROCITIES. THE PEOPLE OF EUROPE SHARE A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY. WE MUST NOT DODGE THIS BY CONCENTRATING ON INDIVIDUALS, BUT SEARCH OUR OWN SOULS TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. Citizen of Coventry
THE CHOICE WAS GERMANY'S. HARRIS'S LEADERSHIP WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NEEDED IF THE GERMAN PEOPLE HAD NOT MAINTAINED HITLER'S WAR.
TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT.
CARPET BOMBING IS A TERRIBLE CRIME. BOMBER HARRIS IS A TERRIBLE CRIMINAL. Daniel, Australia
AN EYE FOR AN EYE MAKES THE WHOLE WORLD BLIND--MAHATMA GHANDI. STOP THE KILLING. OPEN YOUR EYES.
LET'S NOT MAKE OUR CHILDREN WAR HEROES. Beth Titus USA
WHY DO WE KILL PEOPLE WHO KILL PEOPLE TO SHOW THAT KILLING PEOPLE IS WRONG?
REMEMBER THE SIX MILLION JEWS WHO WERE KILLED IN THE HOLOCAUST. PEACE.
I MADE A TRIP HERE IN 1944-45. I LIKE THIS TRIP MUCH BETTER. KEEP THE PEACE. Gene R. Placentia, Calif.
1492 to 1992--500 YEARS OF THE EXPLOITATION, DEATH, RUINATION AND POVERTY OF LATIN AMERICA. WHO? SPAIN, PORTUGAL, USA, EUROPE, JAPAN AND BANK WORLDWIDE ECONOMY. STOP PLEASE, MURDERERS.
IF TIMOR'S REALITY CONTINUES AS NOW, ALL OUR IDEALS WILL REMAIN ONLY ILLUSIONS. from Portugal
I WANT TO FLY LIKE A BIRD OVER THE SKY
I WANT TO LIVE IN PEACE FOREVER
LOVE TO ALL
THERE'S ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE'S NEEDS
BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE'S GREEDS
LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE
Gene and Derrick Bradley, Sheffield, England
PEACE IS THE WORLD SMILING
PEACE IS A GENTLE DOVE
PEACE IS SHARING
PEACE IS CARING
PEACE IS FILLING THE WORLD WITH LOVE
Jessica Braun USA
PEACE BEGINS WITH AN "OPEN MIND"
LOVE KEEPS IT THAT WAY
Connie '92 Canada
ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THE WORLD
HAVE FAITH IN HUMANITY
H. Craggin Isle of Man
ALL OUR DREAM IS COMING TRUE. PEACE.
PEACE TO ALL THE WORLD FROM ERSKINE HOSPITAL
FOR ALL EX-SOLDIERS EVERYWHERE
STOP THE WAR IN YUGOSLAVIA
FROM A DISTANCE WE ARE INSTRUMENTS AND WE'RE MARCHING IN A COMMON BAND PLAYING SONGS OF HOPE, PLAYING SONGS OF LOVE
Jennifer USA
KÖLN AUGUST 27, 1992
ON THE EVE OF MY DEPARTURE FROM EUROPE, MANY IMPRESSIONS OVERCOME ME. LIKE KLIMT'S JUDITH THEY FORM AN UNFORGETTABLE VISUAL SPATIAL SURREAL IMAGE. THIS PLACARD IS NOT INTENDED TO IMPRESS ANYONE, A CRIME THIS OVERSENSITIVE OVERBEARING PERSON HAS LONG BEEN GUILTY OF, BUT RATHER TO POINT OUT, IF ONLY TO MYSELF, SOMETHING MY GRANDMOTHER ALWAYS QUOTED, CHARACTER IS DESTINY, NIETSCHE.
THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO COEXISTENCE IS CODESTRUCTION.
PEACE FOR PEACE
WE DON'T GIVE THE GOLAN
ONLY PEACE FOR PEACE
Israeli Delegation
Summit University '92
HOW TO BE HAPPY AND FUNNY IN THIS WORLD OF WAR, HYPOCRICISM AND NAZISM? IF IT'S POSSIBLE, SAY IT TO ME.
HANDLE WITH CARE (beside a sketch of the Earth)
YOU CAN'T CHANGE PEOPLE. YOU CAN ONLY GIVE THEM LOVE AND HOPE THEY WILL TAKE IT.
EMANCIPATE YOURSELF FROM MENTAL SLAVERY.
NONE BUT OURSELVES CAN FREE OUR MIND.
Bob Marley
IS IT PEACE TO KILL THE ARABS, CHILDREN IN GAZA AND WEST JORDAN LAND? IS IT PEACE?
DEATH IS INEVITABLE. WAR IS NOT.
PARTNERSHIP RESPECTS DIVERSITY. WE ARE ONE.
WE ARE ONE, BUT WE ARE NOT THE SAME, WE GOT TO CARRY EACH OTHER.
MAKE LOVE NOT WAR.
DON'T GIVE UP. STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. PEACE.
YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT
SO GET WHAT YOU NEED
—Köln, October 1992