STUART ROBERTSON
PEACE IN 10,000 HANDS THE FIRST COLLECTION
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A single white rose an ancient symbol of peace in the hands of 10,000 people from every country on the planet An evocative and unstoppable global art project creating a visual provocation to challenge and reinvigorate the conversation for peace Contemporary artworks which speak profoundly to our similarities in the human condition
THANKFUL This global art project is made entirely possible by the generous support of the incredible people from all over the planet who agree to hold the white rose and allow me to take their portrait. My deepest thanks to each of the people who have taken the time to recommend and connect me with incredible people from all around the world to hold the white rose. Also my sincere appreciation to the collectors who buy my art work and to all of the people and organisations who have made a significant difference to get me this far, from camera equipment to printing, gallery opening nights, production, backers and media to each of you who make a difference every day. I am mindful and thankful to each one (you) personally. It is this support that is creating a conversation for peace around the planet and raising thousands and thousands of dollars for charity. Thank you STUART ROBERTSON
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Demi Moore
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The First Collection A selection of iconic photographic artworks and stories created during the first two years of this global art project.
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INTRODUCTIONS
COLLECTIONS
Foreword
The Elders
Stuart Robertson
Mothers
Peace in 10,000 Hands
Fragility Grace
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MINDFUL
COLLECTIONS
Why Peace
Tapestry of the Mind
The White Rose
The Professions
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COLLECTIONS
BEHIND THE ROSE
The Places
Thoughts The Journey Illuminate Film Exhibitions The People
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STU.ART
Acknowledgements
One night in Beijing Artworks
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FOREWORD A man of adventure. A man of spirit. A man on a mission. A New Zealander who thinks and works globally and knows that ‘Kiwis’ can break down cultural barriers with the spirit of curiosity. Stu Robertson is a photographer, like his grandfathers before him. He is an artist whose deep love of humanity has taken him around the world with a simple symbol of peace. Stu has embraced the power of instant global connection to create a living art work in which we can all share. He has described the moment of the click of the camera to me. When a subject holds the white rose. In that moment there is a transportation, where the subject becomes an artist lost in consideration of humanity’s potential for peace. Stu is also transcending and the camera does the rest of the work. The result is a series of profound images that enable our private reflection on peace and on the power of the arts. I first met Stu when Peace in 10,000 Hands found a home on the Arts Foundation’s website Boosted, which enables people to participate in arts projects as donors. People helped out with donations, but they gave much more than that. They let us know that they believe in Stu Robertson and that they care about peace. The First Collection is a debut for Stu Robertson in a planned series of books. These pages provide a beautiful selection of provocative artworks and stories from the first two years of the Peace in 10,000 Hands project. With the blessing and loving commitment of his wife Semele, Stu Robertson has dedicated his life to this self-funded project. A brave human taking on the world with a message we can all be proud to share.
Simon Bowden Executive Director The Arts Foundation. Wellington. New Zealand
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Stuart Robertson Born 1969, Auckland, New Zealand Contemporary artist & humanitarian Stuart Robertson melds photography, film, digital media, symbolism, hand blown glass and neon with his background in design and fabrication. He creates works that speak profoundly to the viewer causing us to confront our preconceptions and gracefully recognise our similarities in the human condition. Creating a global conversation and ripple effect, he draws on the phenomenal power of modern social networks and instant borderless communication that dissolve prejudices and make mankind more connected than at any other time in history. His artistic practice has developed and been refined over 30 years. His artworks now hang in many private established collections throughout New Zealand and the USA and in recent years his profile has gained significant momentum internationally. Media coverage around Robertson and the project continues to grow with various highlights including being a recent feature story on 60 Minutes. Robertson’s passion for seeing the world through an alternate view runs deep. His grandfathers were both prolific photographers with their own darkrooms and camera collections. Their love for the medium underpins the artist’s own obsession. Permanent Exhibitions and Galleries Stu.dio 66 - 66 Industrial Place, Queenstown, New Zealand Gallery X - Khartoum Place, 36 Lorne Street, Auckland, New Zealand Commercial Installations Gusto, SKYCITY Grand Hotel, 90 Federal Street, Auckland, New Zealand Orleans Bar and Restaurant Britomart, Auckland Orleans Bar and Restaurant Central, Christchurch Frame – 320 Orakei Bay Road Auckland Nathan Club - Britomart Auckland Exhibitions Gusford Art Gallery, Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, August 2013 LAB Art Gallery, Collaboration, South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, June 2014 Auckland War Memorial Museum, International Peace Day (Film), Sept 2014 Global Launch Exhibition Orakei Bay, Auckland, New Zealand, May 2014 Sydney Peace Day Exhibition, September 2014
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Peace in 10,000 Hands The evocative and unstoppable global art project that’s creating a visual provocation to challenge and reinvigorate the conversation for peace. Stuart Robertson is inspired by the belief that art is intimately entwined with the human condition and has the power to challenge and create change. ‘Since the time of cave drawings, art has inspired and transcended the boundaries of language, culture, religion, time and space. Imagery can break down barriers, move effortlessly across borders, speak profoundly to the heart of mankind and spark emotion and inspiration in every one of us’. A single white rose held in the hands of 10,000 people from every country and every walk of life. An obsessive and prolific concept in which Robertson explores the idea of mankind’s global interconnectedness and probes into the emotional repositories of our individual belief systems about peace and quietly sets adrift a deep question about the human experience. Robertson hopes to have photographed all 10,000 subjects holding the white rose by 2018. The body of work, the journey, films, books and final definitive exhibition are set to become a provocative and insightful exploration into the very meaning of life. Artworks from throughout the project are being donated 100% to various charities focused on furthering peace through children’s education, safety and wellbeing. ‘Each of our actions and thoughts has a subtle, yet profound ripple effect. We are responsible for, and have the ability to choose, how we influence that ripple’.
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The Elders Rose Schuman Los Angeles USA, 94 Year Old. Mother, painter, fashionista.
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The planet does not need more successful people. The planet needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.. TENZIN GYATSO THE 14TH DALAI LAMA
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Peru Ba Delware, Rajasthan, India
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Wisdom of the Harakeke Whero o Te Rangi, Parihaka, New Zealand
Peggy Buffalo Crow Indian Reservation, Montana, USA
Baba Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
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“I believe in another beginning. Time. Things don’t happen quick, you move with caution because if you rush across the ground you’re liable to stub your toe on a rock. When you pick a flower you make sure it’s not going to fall apart as soon as you pick it”. Whero o Te Rangi, Kuia, Parihaka, Taranaki, New Zealand
When you open a door in your life and start out on a project like this to meet thousands of people, you can never imagine the experiences and stories that will unfold. There are millions of layers of interwoven characteristics and themes that start to form in your mind as you reflect on the essence of each person you meet. I’m fascinated by the traits that link humanity across both physical and imagined borders. Irrespective of language, gender, education, culture or faith. The way each person chooses to live their life and define themselves within their society, within their planet. The First Collection capture some of those traits that I have come to recognise in people as much as the intricate interwoven fabric of humanity.
The first is Wisdom. Sometimes you meet a child who can say something you recognise as a universal truth with a simple purity and wisdom. Most times I’ve come to recognise this in the spaces that surround the words and tales of the elders I meet on this journey. Quiet moments, time shared, beside the warmth of a fire, a meal or in the rays of the winter sun. Generations have passed wisdom through story telling of elders long gone and this is what defines the elders of this generation who grew up on the knees of their grandparents.
Harlal Ram Moolsagar, Jaiselmere, India
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Dung Cakes Morva, Bhajka, Rajasthan, India
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It was once said to me by someone I photographed that we should put the final decision to go to war in the hands of mothers. That mothers would feel differently about committing their sons and daughters to war, potential death and the killing of other sons and daughters. I don’t think this was a commentary to reflect on men or fathers. But rather to reflect on mothers. It is an interesting thought, one that caused debate immediately. When it was said to me, the group I was with then had much to say in response to this comment, as you can imagine. ‘The Mothers’ series is a commentary on mothers of all the cultures and countries I have seen. Think of a mother, the emotion, protection, comfort, reassurance this thought engenders... it is the same in every culture. Mothers are a stark reminder of our similarities in the human condition.
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Langar Sajhi, Kenkku and Dudei prepare the shared meal in Moolsagar, Jaiselmere
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A morning flight, another destination. I have just completed photographing Emily Blunt. Leaving LA for New Mexico. I was going from A to B on a mission. The mission usually starts when you arrive at your destination then go for it. It’s not often that the actual travel (a couple of hours) proves to have more impact than the two weeks at your destination. I noticed two things the moment I first saw Elissa in the airport at LAX and then again; thanks to South West’s seat yourself anywhere you like on the plane policy; sitting next to me was Elissa and her friend, mother and fellow campaigner Jeri. They shared a common and heart wrenching bond. The first thing I noticed about Elissa was her raw, bare emotion, her red eyeliner that communicated a guttural connection very deeply to herself and humanity. I felt something incredibly profound and life changing had happened to her, but I did not know what. The second thing I noticed were her unusual tattoos. She was hiding nothing. Across her chest was the image of a young girls face with a rainbow over her head. That young girl is Margay, Elissa’s daughter. Margay was thirteen, she was smart, full of hope, a ready smile and huge compassion for the world. She wanted to be a Blue Angel Pilot. Margay was killed by a distracted driver while travelling home on the school bus. Her daughters writings, discovered in Margay’s personal journal after her death, were full of profound wisdom on the journey of life. Words now spoken aloud which have made grown men cry and have eased the deep pain of her mothers journey. ‘My memorial tattoo has opened up so many doors spreading her life’s ambitions and the deadly epidemic known as distracted driving’ It turned out the both Elissa and her friend Jeri had started foundations in on honour of their children who were both killed in separate instances by distracted drivers. It is an insidious and growing epidemic.
‘True Love’ - Elissa Schee, Salt Lake City, USA.
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Udaipur city, India, it’s another sweltering hot day. I saw Remkha sitting on the side of the road surrounded by her four children. She was begging for her and her children’s living. I was captivated by her rough beauty and the exquisite coloured fabrics that she was draped in. As she kindly stretched out her hand to take the white rose, the blue cloth piled up in her lap moved and fell away to reveal her newborn baby. This image for me captures so much of the dichotomy of India.
The Shadows Play Remkha & child, Udaipur, India
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