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Installation at Reed College here in Portland.

Comments

[PamMc]

An incredible visual. It stuns me.

I didn't know you live in Portland. I live about 175 miles south in Roseburg.
Love your blog and the cool things you make. And you must be the western half of 3191 - love that, too.

[Shin Young]

It is very sad indeed. I always wonder what makes "worldleaders" do what they do, without realizing that they are just repeating history, and could and should know by now, war doesn't solve anything.
Thanks for sharing this impressive installation

[lindsey clare]

wow

[Sarah]

You don't have to be a crazy pacifist liberal to understand those numbers.

At UW in Seattle they've done similar flag demonstrations for both the war in Iraq and sexual assault. I think it really does make people stop and think for a moment.

[Cristina]

wow. that's a really strong way to illustrate the message. and it's so incredibly sad.

[james]

touching. powerful. brave.

thanks to you for sharing it.

[Molly Irwin]

thank you for sharing an impactful representation! moving installation. important work.

[Milehimama]

It always puts it in perspective to see it visually.

Too bad they don't have enough white flags to demonstrate the over 5 MILLION children killed by abortion since the Iraq war started.

[stephanie]

powerful

[stephanie]

milehimama, i'm not going to delete your comment but, i'm posting these photos because i was really moved by this installation. please use *your own* blog to talk about issues that are important *to you*.

[Fern R]

Do you know what source was used to determine that 655,000 Iraqis civilians have died in the Iraq War? From what I understand, that is wildly out of proportion to what most authorities (including the UN) estimate the casualties as being. The Lancet study, the only study that I know of that has estimated the death toll even close to that high, has been widely criticized from all sorts of experts because of the study's poor methodology and wide margin of error. Wikipedia has compiled much of the criticism here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancet_surveys_of_mortality_before_and_after_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq#Criticisms

[carol]

have mercy on us all...what a powerful installation.

[mimulus]

its my understanding that the author of the study is recognized as an expert in this type of statistical analysis and his methodology was above approach. Many epidemiologists support his number. It is not that thsi number was killed outright as collateral damage, but have died of complications due to war (decreased santitation for example.)

[Lily]

WOW! Breath taking!

[stephanie]

i am not here to argue the lancet study (as i said, you can do that on your own blog).

maybe you look at each white flag as one iraqi instead of six, maybe you look at the white flags as people who have suffered as a result of the war, maybe you don't care about the white flags and only see the red, but surely at some point it is enough to make you stop arguing numbers and start being affected.

surely that is true.

[em]

very touching and so disturbing that this is our reality. but it is, isn't it? wow. the one experience that comes to mind, that I can compare this to is when I visited the aids quilt when I was 9. It was HUGE. Each square was made by a family member or friend or partner. I remember one in particular, with very worn in ballet shoes sewn onto it. it made me cry. so does this. i'll always remember that. and this. we all are so lucky. this reminds me to remember to count my blessings. and I am.

[Kerstin]

Standing in the midst of this must be like standing at the Vietnam wall in D.C. We visited a dozen years ago and the feeling was akin to being inside a church. People were solemn and incredibly moved. I remember thinking, “thank god we've learned our lesson and this will never happen again.” Only if. I read a lot of craft and knitting blogs and it is rare to see a mention of current events outside of one's home. Thank you for sharing.

[Sue]

At first I thought these were tiny flowers.
Thanks for showing.

[Miss Dot]

well done for posting.. and for not editing the wierd arse responders... beautiful pics that make us all stop and think..

[Laura]

Thank you for this thought provoking post. Even if we lower the number of deaths by a several thousand and add the living, but now limbless on the both sides...it all adds up to great loss for everyone on all sides of the issue.

[Rebecca F.]

Stephanie

Even with the posts that are inappropriate, it doesn't detract from the ultimate message. "The big picture" so to speak.

In fact, if it gets people discussing the issues, so much the better.

You must have be so affected by standing amongst all those flags. Hugs to you.

[betsy]

Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by being an American. When I listen to the daily death tolls on NPR, I think about the families, the children whose lived are being destroyed. And then I think about my own children who are growing up in this world.

This installation is very powerful. Thank you for bringing it to your blog and readers. The loss is tremendous. I work hard to create a peaceful, beautiful, creative home for my family and friends to gather in -- it seems silly and self-indulgent to say that in the context of this post. What a luxury. But it is one of the ways I'm preparing my children to make a difference in the world. By instilling peace, love and compassion in their hearts. By guiding them to be creative problem-solvers. By teaching them that the entire world is their village to live in and care for.

Thank you, Stephanie, for reminding me of all that.

[amisha]

thank you for sharing this. it is tremendous in photos; i can only imagine the effect of standing amongst the flags.

[traci]

it's just so hard to not be affected by these images and the difficult reality they display. thanks for getting me to stop and think this morning. sometimes it's far too easy to get wrapped up in one's own life and not examine to it's fullest the world around us.

[teresa]

incredibly painful, sad, and definitely memorable with a visual like that. thanx for showing that!