“I was really pleased at how the work was accepted by the committee and the public. Everyone was very excited about the design and for such a large committee, they were delightful to work with. I think if anyone could do it, those people could make and sustain peace.” – Eileen Blyth
On Tuesday of this week, Columbia unveiled a new contribution to the Peace Pole project, an endeavor started in 1955 by Masahisa Goi in Japan after the bombing of Hiroshima. The Vista Peace Pole was funded by the Quaker community of the Columbia Friends, a committee of about thirty people who did all of the fundraising for the project and tapped visual artist Eileen Blyth to design and construct her unique version of an interactive Peace Pole.
The world-wide peace pole movement encourages the planting of poles on which the message “May peace prevail on Earth” is written in many languages. The Vista Peace Pole is located on the nine hundred block of Senate Street between Lincoln and Assembly Streets.
Blyth’s equally interactive drum-like sculpture, “Hanging” on Main Street adjacent to Drip coffee, sponsor of the installation, is already a local favorite among both children and adults.
Jasper spoke with Blyth about the opportunity to create this permanent addition to Columbia’s cityscape.
Jasper: How long did you work on this project?
Blyth: Probably one year start to finish with several bumps in the middle. Meeting with language experts, technical drawings. fabrication. Supply chain issues, and all the fun stuff that happens when doing a piece of public art.
Jasper: Can you tell us about the construction?
Blyth: The body is Cor-ten steel and the letters are stainless steel. The body is formed around a rebar structure. It is 8”x8” at the base, 8”x22” at the top and 8’ tall. The bell is the cut off top of a gas C02 tank.
Jasper: How deep is the pole in the ground?
Blyth: About three feet below the surface and 8ft tall
Jasper: Did you have much freedom in your design?
Blyth: The sculpture looks 100% like the original drawing. I had total freedom to come up with my own design within the parameters of what a peace pole is.
Jasper: How did you make your Peace Pole unique to you as an artist?
Blyth: I added the bell and the curve at the top. I wanted it’s to represent peace as a noun and a verb. The committee chose the languages. I met with each language expert several times to be sure I got every detail correct. The letters were cut out with a water jet and each piece was attached to the surface individually.
