A Symbol for World Peace

Peace symbols are rooted in historical contexts that pose challenges to their application by governments or institutions. The ‘V’ for victory traces its lineage back to conflict and war. The dove, while accepted globally as a symbol of peace, is imbued with religious overtones, linking to specific faith-based ideologies that don’t resonate universally.

Furthermore, the peace symbol, a sign with immense recognition worldwide, is linked with a specific socio-cultural era, the counterculture movement of the 1960s, known widely as the Hippie Movement. This association could create a sense of disconnect or discord for individuals or groups who don’t identify with the values or beliefs of that specific time period.

Given the inherent limitations and potential for misinterpretation that these existing symbols may instigate, there exists a need for the evolution of a new symbol. This symbol should be stripped of historical and socio-cultural biases, facilitating widespread acceptance and adoption without any form of associated disenchantment.

Designing Peace

October 7, 2023 – February 4, 2024.
Museum of Craft and Design of San Francisco.

June 10, 2022 – September 4, 2023.
Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum of New York.

Designing Peace explores the unique role design plays in pursuing peace. The exhibition features design projects from around the world that look at ways to create and sustain more durable peaceful interactions—from creative confrontations that challenge existing structures to designs that demand embrace justice in a search for reconciliation.

Visitors will encounter a wide range of design responses to the underlying reasons for conflict and division, such as socioeconomic inequality, resource competition, and environmental degradation—and will be encouraged to consider their own agency in designing peace through interactive installations, quiet moments of reflection, and opportunities for practical action.

The Ambassador of Uruguay to Costa Rica hands the symbol to the Rector of the University for Peace thanks to the interest in bringing Uruguayan institutions closer to the unique academic offer of the University.

International Exhibition of Posters for World Peace

33 visual artists from 15 countries express their vision of the symbol for world peace. The Activity was declared of Cultural Interest by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay.

Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Ireland, Jamaica, Peru, Poland, Spain, United States, Uruguay & Venezuela.

Agnieszka Ziemiszewska, Alejandro Urrutia, Aleksandra and Przemek Hoffer, Alfredo Parada Larrosa, Augusto Guissi, Berch Kotogian, Blair Thomson, Eduardo Tunni, Fabián Bicco, Felipe Andres Estay Miller, Gustavo Wojciechowski, Isidro Ferrer, Janusz Bieliński, Juan Villanueva, Lisa Mazur, Marcela Romero y Pablo Cosgaya, Martín Piñeyro, Max Phillips, Miriam Martincic, Rosana Malaneschii, Sofía Bastos, Varvara Tokareva, Andre Hutchinson, Azul Gattas, Kasia Kubacha, Lautaro Hourcade, Maria Papaefstathiou, Mario Fuentes, Pablo Delcan, Luis Carlos Rodríguez, Sara De Graeve & Yabel Guerra.