LIFE AS MYTH
JOURNAL
JOURNAL 2013
A living myth
Seven year cycles
SUMMER 2013
Love as myth
LIFEWORKS
ATLAS
SUMMER 2013
1000 CRANES
Auspicious cranes. Huizong of Song. 1112. Liaoning Provincial Museum.
Cranes are good omens throughout Asian mythology, symbols of happiness, eternal youth and good luck. In Japanese mythology they are sacred birds and reported to live one thousand years.
One thousand origami cranes held together by string is a senbazuru. According to Japanese tradition, if you fold one thousand origami cranes, you will receive your heart's desire.
There is a report, contemporary to this painting (above), that a large flock of cranes gathered around a palace building. This was an auspicious omen and inspired Huizong to write a poem commemorating the event.
... Cranes have come to play a unique role as ambassadors for peace, helping peoples from different countries to recognize the common ground that unites them. Principles and methods developed through the study and conservation of cranes have contributed to the foundation of broader national, international, and regional programs for the conservation of biological diversity and the implementation of the idea of sustainable land use. Meine, Curt D. and George W. Archibald (Eds). 1996. The cranes: Status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 294pp. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
http:// www. npwrc. usgs. gov /resource /birds /cranes/ index. htm (Version 02MAR98).
