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MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

We R The Mainstream .... We R The Culture ...... We R The Powers That Be
Dancing The Dream Awake
For all The Children and All The Children To Come
The Peace Movement is neither “Left-wing”, nor “Right-wing”. It is in fact the moderate, or the “mainstream” central position. The “radical element”- a label given to Peace demonstrators by the media during the 60’s and 70’s, has now become mainstream. No longer relegated to the rank of “counter-culture”, it has been actualised through all walks of life, groups, races, and religions. The Peace Movement is no longer the counter-culture, it is The Culture.
As the debate reached a fever pitch during the build-up to war last winter, two million of people in the UK, and millions more around the world, took this position to the streets. There was a lot of anger and frustration present- sheer disbelief at what appeared to be a foregone conclusion that the governments of the United States and Britain would invade Iraq under false pretences- which they did.
Beside this negative vortex, however, began a real positive movement for change. For many attending, this was the first time they found themselves on the street voicing their discontent with their state’s foreign policy. People who normally wouldn’t dream of attending a public gathering found themselves on the frontline for Peace. Some individuals commented on the extremely high level of awareness that was felt that day and the universal bond apparent during the February 15^th demonstration- an unforgettable experience. This has since gained momentum through the numerous gatherings that followed this year and has seen this movement flow into the mainstream.

Memes- like mind viruses
What is ‘SAY YES2PEACE’? It is a positive affirmation, a type of “meme” or mind virus, which is being created to neutralise the barrage of negative and combative language which has dominated our media and our conversational bloodstream recently. The Say Yes2Peace campaign is rooted in the belief that anti breeds anti. Statements like “War on Terror”, “Stop the War”, “Fight Corruption”,“Don’t Attack Iraq”, or “We Must Fight for Peace” all have the effect of a double negative. Simply, two wrongs will not make a right. One speaker climbed up to the podium and shouted to listeners, “We are here to show our leaders that we are angry!” - more of the same- more food for the war monster.
SAY YES2PEACE transforms these expressions from a double negative into a double positive, thus allowing us to reclaim the conversation which has been stuck in the mud since the build-up to war began last year. It introduces a positive force amongst an angry and emotive setting. Within our language is where we need to sow the seeds for positive transformation.
We are being constantly showered with such memes through day-to-day formats- on television, in the headlines, in advertisements, emails, or through conversation. Now is the time to ‘reboot’, and upgrade our collective consciousness.
By embracing these issues, and understanding them, we transform them into a peaceful conversation, switch to another channel of the collective consciousness and re-seed our conversation with positive memes.

One Email… An Infinite Possibility
The SAY YES2PEACE project received one such positive meme, as an email received on February 9th, 2003, only six days before the first action. Its subject read:
“Fwd: Fw: MAKE LOVE NOT WAR- Valentines anti-war action”, and then followed with:
“Imagine the streets of your town covered in hearts - a visual
Protest that speaks to the world of another way to live. Each heart
drawn by one person - see the thousands of hearts beating in unity,
stretching to the horizon, stretching around the world. Rivers of
peace flowing through our broken landscape. TAKE your piece of chalk
and draw your protest at the pain of war, draw your love of family
and children, draw your love of peace. Draw a chalk heart on your doorstep. Draw chalk hearts on the
pavement. If you're at a protest march or action bring a piece of
chalk and make your mark, draw a heart, be one of the millions that
the media and world leaders can't IGNORE. Even if you've never done
anything please, please just bring a piece of chalk and draw a heart.”

Inspired by this “message in a bottle”, flotsam from cyberspace- a single email containing a big idea, it seemed unlikely that enough people would
show up to a demo with enough chalk to create the impact one visualises when reading the email. So we brought thousands of pieces of chalk and distributed them and encouraged people to chalk.
What happened after that was truly amazing, and the images are both beautiful and unforgettable, with colourful artwork remaining on
the pavement for days afterwards, adding yet another magical aspect to the creative effort. What it takes to manifest this idea on a material level
is very little- some chalk and some people. To make it really come alive, we gathered the energy at the source of the idea- the message in the bottle,
and then stoked with enthusiasm. This, along with the courage to take an unknown quantity into a public space, will make something small flourish
into infinite possibility.
We gain inspiration from seeing other active teams of creatives, artists, musicians, photographers- all working to make their statement for peace
and for unity. Seeing them act creatively gives all of us permission and encouragement to express our own creative energy. We are grateful for
everyone’s effort! We sincerely hope this project will also provide inspiration to all of you, as a means of self expression- a platform from
which to launch your positive statement into the ether.
A positive statement is more than just words. It has legs to walk and run, and wings to fly.
This relatively small effort in London has made
itself known in France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Nigeria, South Africa, India, and USA- all within a very short space of time.
When we are creative within our own lives, however large the effort, or matter how small the materials, we foster real change.
Remember, even a single blade of grass can crack a concrete block.
CHALK4PEACE: The Medium is the Message
It is a powerful act to put a piece of chalk to the pavement
and express yourself at a public demonstration.
This is one simple act transforms
a public protest, a normally passive affair,
into an interactive and dynamic forum,
catalyzing positive energy towards its critical mass.
Potentially, anyone who
was at the Demonstrations for Peace
this year is in this Exhibition.
This is an example of what is possible
with a
little bit of resource and a lot of imagination.
Everyone is invited to
express themselves, everyone shares the stage.
Attendees align with positive energy and awareness,
showing that each
of us has
a space to create ideas, pictures, feelings
all are an expression of
our
individuality within our human family.
There were children,
parents, every nationality,
every creed,
business suits,
hippies
all of them were down on their hands and knees
chalking together.
It’s personal and it’s communal. It’s all-inclusive.
It’s uncensored public art by the people. Each mark, each statement is a
powerful
affirmation in itself… and there are many.
Rather than
aesthetics, the focus of this project is on the participation, action,doing!
Communication and feeling are the major currency in chalking. There is
no such thing as a bad drawing
or a wrong colour!
Our effort, our expression counts!
It is significant!
It is what is said and
expressed in that collective moment.
Good, bad, happy,
angry- all of it will eventually be washed
away through street cleaning or rain.
This isn’t political, national,
or religious- it’s human.
These chalk landscapes present as accurate a sample of
the issues and opinions at the forefront of society, as any poll or
“focus group” could possibly offer.
Polls and focus groups are simply
reflections of a
conversation that takes place behind closed doors.
This is our
focus group on the street, our market research, our “gallop
poll”.
We have collected the results and are presenting them to the
world in order to affirm a new social policy, ‘
Our New World Order Is Love’.
The medium is the
message and we all play our part.
Prosperity- Through Peace
“The Culture”, as we view it today through our media, seems to be one of constant conflict and strife. We see it not only between governments, nations, but also within families, the workplace, and within our local neighbourhoods. Force and coercion are seen to drive our world of politics, economics, and nation building. But where do “mutual interest” and “coexistence” fit into this matrix? How do we reach Peace?
Given the human mind’s absolute genius for devising weapons of extraordinary destructiveness, we must now recognise this phenomenon for what it truly is… big business. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the weapons business is not there to deter potential conflict between nations, rather, conflict and strife are now prolific precisely because of this mega industry. It uses memes as names, like “Peace-Keeper” missiles, and governments support them with other slogans like “Operation Enduring Freedom”, “a good war will boost the economy”. These are memes inserted into our culture and used as fundamental pillars of our current leadership. These statements merely contribute to a collective unconsciousness in the conversational run-up to war. As we try to elevate the conversation, remember: THERE ARE NO BAD GUYS – our global situation is a result of cause and effect over a period of thousands of years –THIS IS AN EVOLUTIONARY MOMENT – WE ARE DOWN FROM THE TREES BUT NOT YET WALKING UPRIGHT. It is really just the result of a primitive conversation we are having.
We are here to make a positive change. What good is a future if it is not one that is based on hope? We must remember that Peace is in fact the norm, and it is pervasive throughout our lives. What is won through hostility and coercion is not success, but rather a poisoned chalice which carries the seed of future conflict. It is an illusion of the mind which ignores the natural karmatic law of cause and effect. True prosperity can only be achieved via peaceful means.
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