The Nagasaki Peace Park Monument

When I was asked to design a garden in Nagasaki on the subject of “World Peace”, the organisors asked me to contribute a single sentence which summed up my thoughts on the subject of peace. At the time we were filming for “How The Other Half Live” and the producer Daniel kept Sara amused in the long gaps between takes by encouraging her to write Haiku poems- the Japanese form of poetry where there is strict scansion of 5,7 and 5 per line in three lines. This inspired me to make my contribution on ‘Peace’ in the form of a Haiku.  I had no idea at the time that two months later my words would be inscribed on a monument at the Nagasaki Peace Park.

In this video I am with Mr Ishihara and a local business man at the unveiling of the monument, in front of the TV cameras.  The background is that of a successful local businessman, who has decided to knock down his office headquarters, which adjoin the Peace Park and build a garden in their place,   designed by Mr Ishihara.  The monument will form part of the garden.  The video ends with a clip of us planting an olive tree, as the olive branch is a symbol for a peace offering.