The
Flag Projectby Barbara Carrellas
On Remembrance Day, 11 November 2001, I began an ART=LIFE performance piece I call The Flag Project. I am performing the Flag Project because since 11 September I have watched Americans wear, display, and rally around the American. This has produced a profound sense of unity for many people. I, however, have felt excluded and frightened by this patriotic ritual. The flying of any one flag, especially at the exclusion of all others, speaks to me of differences and separation. And, as my friend Catherine Carter said, "So many lives have been lost for all millennium all in the name of flags…"
The Flag Project is also a personal spiritual quest. On 29 September 2001, Louise Hay offered a meditation encouraging us to "allow our hearts to open to include all other hearts." I hope that The Flag Project will be a process that makes that prayer a reality.
Can the symbolic unifying power of flags be woven into a web of understanding and awareness? Can flags of other nations and peoples command some of the same reverence and meaning as the flag we call our own? By performing The Flag Project I choose to make a daily visible, physical and spiritual connection with a specific place on the planet by wearing the flag of that nation or territory.
Each day for the next several months, I will wear a small flag (average size 1.25" x .80") of a different country or territory pinned to my clothes on the left side (i.e. "over my heart.") In addition to wearing the flag, I will learn three facts about each country: one about sex, one about religion, and one about money and/or politics.
The piece is flexible. For instance, I may wear one flag for more than one day, especially if I have not gone out in public that day or if I feel that I need to spend longer with a particular flag/country. Also, I may want to break the pattern of a flag-a-day to de-emphasize the process of piece and stress the content.
The subjects of the three facts are also flexible. Although I feel that sex, religion and money/politics are important and fascinating windows into the souls of people and places, some other fact(s) - or additional facts - may be more compelling in some cases.
I will document the piece with a daily diary and in any other way that seems appropriate for the piece. I shall perform the piece for at least three months and possibly until 11 September 2002.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I
visit Ground Zero for the first time. My legs go numb. Two
hours later I get the flu. 10 11
Sierra
Leone 12
Costa
Rica 13 Costa
Rica 14
Malawi 15
Malawi 16
Brunei 17
Myanmar 18
Peru 19
Azerbaijan 20
Botswana 21
Fiji 22 Saudi
Arabia 23
Egypt 24
Egypt 25
Yemen 26
Brazil 27
Congo 28
Congo 29
Eritrea 30
Liechtenstein
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 United
Arab Emirates 2
Namibia 3
Portugal 4
Portugal 5
Greece 6
Suriname 7 East
Timor 8
Nauru 9
North Korea 10
Thailand 11
Aboriginal
Peoples 12
India 13
Kazakhstan 14
Libya 15
Republic of
Ireland 16
Ivory
Coast 17
Ivory
Coast 18
Australia 19
Mongolia 20
Pakistan 21
Panama 22
Seborga 23
Austria 24
Tibet 25
Tibet 26
Tibet 27
Rwanda 28
Japan 29
Japan 30
Mozambique
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 31
Qatar 1
Djibouti 2
Tanzania 3
New
Zealand 4
Belize 5
Afghanistan 6
Afghanistan 7
Vietnam 8
Laos 9
Seychelles 10
Algeria 11
Indonesia 12
Poland 13
Zimbabwe 14
Zimbabwe 15
Samoa 16
Tonga 17
Tonga 18
Switzerland 19
Malta 20
Palestine 21
Palestine 22
Gabon 23
Ukraine 24
Finland 25
Uruguay 26
Bangladesh 27
South Korea 28
South Korea 29
Dominican
Republic 30
Jamaica 31 Sri
Lanka
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 Sri
Lanka 2
Comoros 3
Comoros 4
Lesotho 5
Monaco 6
Vatican City 7
Romania 8
Yugoslavia 9
Slovakia 10
Estonia 11
Estonia 12
Latvia 13
Moldova 14
Albania 15
Iceland 16
Greenland 17
Greenland 18
Argentina 19
Guatemala 20
Barbados 21
Tajikistan 22
Kyrgyzstan 23
Angola 24
Benin 25
Benin 26
Jordan 27
Kuwait 28
Kuwait
Back To Top
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1
France 2
Italy 3American
Samoa 4American
Samoa 5
Malaysia 6
Kiribati 7
Canada 8
Canada 9
Mexico 10
Venezuela 11
Netherlands 12
Morocco 13
Spain 14 Costa
Rica 15
Swaziland 16
Kenya 17
Kenya 18
Colombia 19 South
Africa 20
Somalia 21
Tunisia 22
Palau 23
French Polynesia &
Tahiti 24
Togo 25
Turkey 26 St.
Kitts & Nevis 27
Macedonia 28
Trinidad &
Tobago 29
Oman 30
Sudan 31
Sudan
Back To Top
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1
Sweden 2 United
Kingdom 3
Turkmenistan 4
Vanuatu 5
Russia 6
Tuvalu 7
Nigeria 8
Zambia 9
Taiwan 10
Ghana 11
Uganda 12
Aruba 13
Nepal 14
Nepal 15
Cambodia 16
Bhutan 17
Philippines 18 U.S.
Virgin Islands 18
British Virgin
Islands 10
Falkland
Islands 21
Anguilla 22
Anguilla 23
Bermuda 24
Guam 25
Paraguay 26
Paraguay 27
Haiti 28
Honduras 29
Bahamas 30
Bosnis &
Herzegovina
Back To Top
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1
Germany 2
Antarctica 3
Armenia 4
Antigua &
Barbuda 5
Bahrain 6
Western Sahara 7
Grenada 8
Guyana 9
Belarus 10
Equatorial
Guinea 11
Bolivia
Back To Top
The Flag Project ended on 11 May 2002, six months after it began. The cleanup at the World Trade Center site was coming to an end and people were having trouble letting it go. I realized that this project was as much a project of it's time as the cleanup was. It is time to move on to a new phase and a new project. I discovered wonderous things about the people and places behind all these flags and in the weeks and months to come I hope to share some of these facts and insights with you here on this page.
The Flag Project ends but the world goes on. Stay aware and dare to love beyond your borders.