item details
NamePeace Sunday, St Peter's Anglican Church, Willis Street, Wellington
ProductionUnknown; photographer; 3 August 1986; New Zealand
ClassificationGelatin silver prints, black-and-white prints
Materialsphotographic gelatin, photographic paper, silver
Materials Summarygelatin silver print
Techniquesblack-and-white photography
DimensionsImage: 235mm (width), 165mm (height)
Registration NumberO.052189
Credit lineGift of Susan Jordan, 2024
Overview
This press photograph shows a crowd outside St Peter’s Anglican Church on Willis Street, Wellington, celebrating Peace Sunday, 3 August 1986. They have just released gas-filled balloons with peace messages inside.
The guest preacher was the Reverend Dr Jack Gessell of Sewanee, Tennessee, United States. He was active in the Episcopal Peace Fellowship in the United States.
Inside the church, the congretation inserted flowers into a wire ball filled with moss and this hung over the altar, symbolising a world in which peace flourished.
Many Christians in Aotearoa New Zealand were active in the anti-nuclear and peace movements. This photograph captures a gentle and creative strategy calling for peace while drawing media attention.