On Monday, September 19th LCC began a week of international peace day events, the opening of which was the Peace Days Photo Gallery. The gallery touched many students' hearts and was very topical with the multiple wars and conflicts that have started in the past 6 months. The LCC community was invited to submit photos they had taken that represent what peace looks like for them in the world, all of which were displayed in a gallery where the community was encouraged to vote on the photos that touched them the most. The submissions were extremely thought provoking and full of emotion, particularly the submissions by students coming from countries currently at war.

Conversations I had with audience members ventured into deep themes about what peace might look like in the places we have been or live in; Other conversations they had amongst themselves revolved around transforming conflicts, trauma and ways of building community through the sharing of perspectives.

The gallery was very well received by the LCC community. Both students and faculty came for its opening on Monday evening and stayed until its closing. Almost every attendee voted on the photo submissions and shared comments on how the display influenced their emotions. I had personally suspected some attendees to have come for free snacks and beverages but after conversing with them I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged everyone had become with the photography. They had a deep reaction to the gallery, either because of one or two pieces specifically or because of the atmosphere created by all of the submissions combined. Conversations I had with audience members ventured into deep themes about what peace might look like in the places we have been or live in; Other conversations they had amongst themselves revolved around transforming conflicts, trauma and ways of building community through the sharing of perspectives. There was a sense of therapeutic release and calm both in the expression coming from the display and from the audience, many of whom appeared to have built up emotion and tension inside of themselves that wanted to be expressed and shared.

One of the winners, Johannes Nitt remarked how “peace was like a river”- one where “the fog makes it difficult to see at times” .

The winners were honored on Friday evening during “Bridging Borders & Journeys of Resilience”, the closing event for International Peace Week at LCC. All submissions were lovingly displayed on the wall behind the speakers for the whole evening, making it a very provoking display to look up at while hearing stories from students and reflecting on peace as a community. One of the winners, Johannes Nitt remarked how “peace was like a river”- one where “the fog makes it difficult to see at times” . I am very satisfied with the event's turnout and I hope LCC will come together again soon in the future to connect with each other through artforms that can help express complex emotions and ideas inside them.

Winner : Johannes Nitt with photo “Peace like a River”