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A breathtaking sky covers the expanse of boots and visitors in quiet contemplation. |
Three days of commemoration, prayer, and meditation in Zilker Park Peace Grove were inaugurated on February 15th with a moving ceremony, featuring keynote speaker Lon Burnam, a Texas State Representative (D) who is also a Quaker.
1,466 pairs of empty boots represented U.S. military casualties to that date, while civilian shoes attempt to represent the many tens of thousands of Iraqi civilian losses.
Other features of this three-day installation included an ecumenical silent prayer service, a meditative chanting for peace by Tibetan monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in southern India, and a Buddhist walking meditation for peace.
Eye Opener on Iraq
Austin Chronicle - February 11, 2005
At the height of the Vietnam War, television news often featured the flag-draped coffins of U.S. soldiers, not to mention the notorious body counts of dead Vietnamese "enemies." The Bush administration's Pentagon has banned photography of returning military coffins, and the human toll of the Iraq War has been largely kept out of sight of the American public. To help put a human face on the war, the American Friends Service Committee has created a traveling exhibit commemorating the loss of human life in Iraq.
The Daily Texan - February 16, 2005
The American Friends Service Committee is striving to put a price tag on the human cost of the war in Iraq. The committee put that price tag on display Tuesday in Austin's Zilker Park Peace Grove. The memorial will last until Thursday.
Shoes of the dead
News 8 Austin - February 16, 2005
People in Austin are getting a close up look at human sacrifices made in Iraq. Thousands of boots and shoes of fallen U.S. soldiers and Iraqi citizens are lined up in rows at Zilker Park.
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| Photos by Marq Anderson | |
A volunteer's account:
I spent a total of six hours as a volunteer at the Eye Wide Open exhibit during its visit in Austin, Texas. I was given the opportunity to observe the effect of the exhibit on those who came to see it (or who stumbled upon it as they walked their dog, rode their bike…).