Nocturne: Lifting Peace Off the Ground in the City
Our first presentation of Lifting Peace Off the Ground was at Nocturne in partnership with the Museum of Natural History.
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Over 700 visitors came through the museum that night.
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Many stopped to walk through the NSVOW installation space, read posters (including some from the Hiroshima Memorial Museum), and take part in intergenerational activities.
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Two tables were set up for butterfly-making and the result was stunning: our last count found 101 paper butterflies created in one night.
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So many children and parents were grateful for a peace-focused, hands-on project.
The Raging Grannies guided the butterfly activity and also shared the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons for visitors to “sign” in support.
Fatima and members of the Muslim Women’s Study group made beautiful crocheted white poppies; we estimate that about 70 white poppies with their peace message were shared.
Throughout the evening, we talked with visitors about:
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Canada’s war budget
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The way military spending diverts resources from housing, health, clean water, climate mitigation, and justice
This Nocturne action continues a five-year tradition of NSVOW art interventions, including:
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Covering a cannon with white poppies
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Public readings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report
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The Peace Protector Uniform action
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What Floats Your Boat? A Harbour for Peace
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And now Lifting Peace Off the Ground for the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Two visitors told us that they now come to Nocturne each year specifically to look for the NSVOW piece. That encouragement keeps us going.
If you have ideas for future Nocturne projects that keep peace in the public conversation, we’d love to hear from you.
In peace,
Kathrin Winkler & NSVOW friends
Lifting Peace off the Ground
Saturday, October 18 | 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Nocturne 2025 | Halifax, Mi’kma’ki
Exploring the Shadows of History, Together
“Lifting Peace off the Ground” invites visitors to step into a living reflection on the shadow of nuclear weapons—and to lift peace, hope, and shared humanity into the light.
Hosted by Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace (NSVOW) in collaboration with the Raging Grannies, this interactive Nocturne project commemorates the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by exploring the ongoing human and environmental cost of war, while calling for nuclear disarmament and diplomatic solutions to state conflict.
A Story That Still Echoes
The ground we walk on here in Mi’kma’ki holds the layers of our collective human story: colonization and racism, warfare and discord—but also healing, resilience, and protection.
The threat of nuclear weapons casts an ultimate shadow beyond borders—on this Earth, over all intentions, and across all future generations.
This project builds upon a story that deeply impacted Muriel Duckworth, Nova Scotian peace activist and founding member of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace. During her 1983 visit to the Hiroshima Peace Park, she heard survivors describe how “birds and butterflies dropped out of the sky with their wings on fire.”
From this haunting image, our project asks:
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Can we spark understanding of the environmental devastation of warfare?
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Can we, together, lean into nonviolent solutions to conflict?
The Crocheted Shadow
At the heart of the installation lies a life-size hand-crocheted human shadow, surrounded by hundreds of paper butterflies created by visitors. The shadow is both a memorial and a mirror.
We include it for two reasons:
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To honour the human lives lost to warfare, colonialism, and corporate greed—each of which casts a shadow that harms water, land, and air.
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To remember the atomic shadows left behind on August 6, 1945, when the intense flash of Hiroshima’s explosion—brighter than a thousand suns—imprinted the silhouettes of people and objects that shielded against the blast.
Each butterfly made during Nocturne carries a message of peace, gently covering the shadow with color and intention—transforming remembrance into action.
Beyond Nocturne
After Nocturne, we hope to present the completed artwork to Setsuko Thurlow, a Japanese–Canadian nuclear disarmament campaigner and Hibakusha who survived the bombing of Hiroshima.
A leading voice in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Thurlow accepted the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the campaign.
Through this offering, we reaffirm our fervent hope that Canada will sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, joining the global call to abolish these weapons once and for all.
Join Us
Bring your hope, your voice, and your creativity.
Together, let’s lift peace off the ground—and into the light.
🕊️ Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace
🌐 nsvow.org
📍 Part of Nocturne 2025, Halifax, Mi’kma’ki
