| Description: | Through this wall hanging Marlene voices her concern for the future of our planet. She created it for the exhibition "Stitching Peace: An exhibition of Arpilleras and Quilts", in Geneva and Jamaica (2011), by invitation of Conflict Textiles curator, Roberta Bacic. She presents the earth as a six-piece jigsaw that can only be completed by everyone working together towards the common goal of ‘Peace with the Earth’. A swirl of red footprints surrounding the globe marks out the steps we must take; the changes we need to make to achieve this goal. She urges us to reduce greenhouse gases and our carbon footprint, take fewer flights and use less petrol and electricity.
The smaller green footprints offer tangible, practical actions: walk, share a car journey, plant a tree, conserve water and recycle. On every level, this piece addresses our own role and responsibility in achieving peace and highlights the need for global collaboration – by governments, corporations, local groups and individuals - to complete the ‘puzzle’.
These issues raised by Marlene in 2010, find expression in many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
They also mirror the present global concern about environmental destruction and climate change, articulated at the COP28 Conference (30 Nov – 12 Dec 2023). Overall, her piece now presents an even more urgent call to action than in 2010, if we are to achieve ‘Peace on earth’ for future generations.
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