Happy Bird Project

11 March 2014 | Cowra Canowindra Civilian Internment Arts Program March 2014 | 0 comments

Guinness Book Record Holder for origami crane folding, artist Hiromi Ashlin from the Happy Bird Project visited Cowra in March 2014 as part of the Cowra Canowindra Community / Civilian Internment Arts Project and conducted a series of origami crane folding workshops.

HIromi Ashlin, Happy Bird Project conducts workshops with students from Cowra Public School in folding origami cranes to be placed on graves of civilian internees at the Japanese War Cemetery, Cowra. 7 March, 2014. Photo by Mayu Kanamori

Hiromi visited the Cowra Public, Cowra High and Mulyan Public schools,  and conducted the total of 8 workshops in one day with the help of volunteers from a Cowra based Japanese organic farm Kitanodai Kaihatsu and completed the folding of 200 yellow cranes for peace.

Izumi Iwase, Ktanodai Kaihatsu, Cowra assists students from Cowra Public School in folding origami cranes to be placed on graves of civilian internees at the Japanese War Cemetery, Cowra. 7 March, 2014. Photo by Mayu Kanamori

Kurumi Konno, Ktanodai Kaihatsu, Cowra assists students from Cowra Public School in folding origami cranes to be placed on graves of civilian internees at the Japanese War Cemetery, Cowra. 7 March, 2014. Photo by Mayu Kanamori

Sachika Hiraide, Ktanodai Kaihatsu, Cowra assists students from Cowra Public School in folding origami cranes to be placed on graves of civilian internees at the Japanese War Cemetery, Cowra. 7 March, 2014. Photo by Mayu Kanamori

One of our funding organisations Japan Foundation, Sydney’s Sayuri Tokuman assisted too.

Sayuri Tokuman, Japan Foundation, Sydney assists students from Cowra Public School in folding origami cranes to be placed on graves of civilian internees at the Japanese War Cemetery, Cowra. 7 March, 2014. Photo by Mayu Kanamori

On the last day of the Civilian Internment Program, when 200 guests arrived for the official unveiling of the Civilian Internment Interpretive Board at the entrance of the Japanese War Cemetery, followed by commemorations for those civilians who died in internment during WW2,  the yellow cranes for peace folded by Cowra students  were placed along all the graves of civilians buried at the Japanese War Cemetery in Cowra.

Yellow origami cranes placed by each civilian internee grave at the Japanese War Cemetery in Cowra. The cranes were folded by Hiromi Ashlin of Happy Bird Project with Cowra students. 9 March 2014. Photo by Mayu Kanamori.

Watch a video on the official proceedings on the day, filmed by members of the Civilian Internment Documentary Team, of course! : Cowra Civilian Internment Interpretive Board Unveiling & Commemorative Ceremonies

– Posted by Mayu Kanamori

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