Sadako Sasaki was a "hibakusha," a survivor of the atomic bomb who suffers ill-effects. When dying of leukemia, she folded cranes because of the Japanese belief that if you fold 1000, your wish will come true. She folded them increasingly smaller and smaller, using the finest skills of origami folding. These are actual cranes folded by Sadako, who died at age 12 in 1955. There is a well-known children's book entitled "Sadako and the Thousand Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr and a film and picture book illustrated by Ed Young.
I love how you used light here, with Sadako's cranes fading in the edges as her cranes fly into and then out of the light. Brilliant capture. Very artistic as well as symbolic.
Lovely symbolism and imagery. The Botanical Garden just had the Japanese Festival. Of course, I went - they had a display of origami paper cranes, to commemorate the same story (which, fundamentally, is so sad, despite its hopeful message). I tried to capture one, but it was dismal... yours are delightful!
