In the late spring of 2002, I started work on my Peace Sanctuary in the North of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the flank of Portage mountain, near Hudson's Hope, BC. The overall image is over 1000 ft in diameter. The National film board of Canada recorded the process in a documentary, "From Baghdad to Peace Country".

People are hearing about my Peace Sanctuary through this documenatry and screening presentations world wide and many are now making plans to visit the site. It will be a lifetime project for me and each year, changes will be made and things added to make it an exciting place to visit and photograph.

I want people to approach the site in the same way that they might enter a modest church. I would encourage visitors to say a prayer for their friends.. The entrance points will lead you to a low lookout point over the mother and child face area, although the best viewpoint is from a steep slope that rises up behind the image. The surrounding mountains and lake give you a spectacular overall view.

I would like to see musicians take their instruments and find peace through their music and the wonderful surroundings.

This sacred, primitive site, will be a place for renewal and purification. A place where one might visit and get a second chance. Similar to the hope that one gets at the start of the New Year, or confessions in the Catholic church.

I hope it will stand for generations to come and become a symbol for those who never give in to hatred in the struggle against evil.

Various light conditions and changes to the seasons should give the image a range of moods for those who visit it at different times.

I am also trying to incorporate a sculptural element into the design so that people on the ground have a central focus. I am working with the Iraqi art community to create a twenty four foot bronze sculpture . There will be three rock like bronze pieces, representing family.

Anyone interested in helping with this project, please contact dhouston@coastnet.com

Deryk Houston, July 2003