A Handful of Hope

This was a really beautiful exhibition in this years Vivid festival, and is one that caused me to stand there, ignorant of the gently falling rain around me, and pause and reflect.

It was inspired by an ancient Japanese legend that said if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, you will be granted a wish by the crane you have honoured in origami form. This is also known as senbazuru in Japanese.

One of the main reasons this has become so popular in the last fifty years or so is thanks to Hiroshima bomb survivor Sadako Sasaki. She survived the nuclear blast when only two years old, but within a few years she was diagnosed with leukaemia as an effect of the radiation.

Before she passed in 1955, she started the journey of folding 1,000 paper cranes, otherwise known as senbazuru, as a way of letting out her pain and suffering, and that of her parents, and to wish for good health. She made it to 644 before she died. As a sign of respect, her classmates finished the remaining 356.

As her story was told, this art of senbazuru grew in popularity first in Japan, then worldwide.

It is a symbol of hope, a message for peace, a wish for a better world. And these are things we can all work towards every single day, even with the smallest of actions.

So what will you do?

The details for this image are:

• Nikon D750 with Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G2
• f/2.8
• 1/125s
• ISO500