Peace is our profession

B-52 peace symbol

I spotted this ironic fusion of a peace symbol and a B-52 in the city1 earlier in the year, and luckily it was still there when I went back with a camera this week.

B-52 peace symbol

It's at the corner of Russell St and Bullens Lane. I assume it's street art, and not anything to do with the bar advertised below it. No idea who is responsible for it, but well done, whoever it is!

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  1. That's Melbourne, not London ... []

11 thoughts on “Peace is our profession

  1. Post author

    When I saw it, I did think, "hey, is that where the peace symbol came from?" before doing a bit of googling and finding out that it's from the semaphore for ND (as in CND as in nuclear disarmament). But a few people have obviously had the idea to juxtapose the two before, and the irony works both ways ...

  2. I used the same juxtaposition in my poster "Give War A Chance" from 2003.

    One one the many Australian attempts to stop John Howard committing Australia to participation in the invasion of Iraq (which "wouldn't turn out to be another Vietnam" and, apparently, still hasn't.)

    At the time, I couldn't imagine that someone hadn't thought of it before but, as it was only a background element, I decided to include it anyway.

    I still think someone must have done it before. Probably in the sixties.

    See the poster here:
    http://www.heynick.com/posters/give-war-a-chance.htm

  3. Post author

    Yes, the angle of the B-52's wings are just right for the peace symbol: it seems like a good candidate for independent invention.

  4. Namaste

    OT: Our current peace symbol is actually the death symbol. The correct symbol should be an inverted peace symbol, meaning the tree of life.

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  5. Rich

    Hey i definately know who did that peace (piece)... Melbourne's very own underground artist 586.
    The story goes that 586's interpretion was created around 2001/2 and two years later Mr. 586 discovered by accident on a passer by's t-shirt that the band- the B-52's had already used the concept on the back of a tour t-shirt from back either in the 80's or 90's. The idea may not be entirely new but 586's stylised composition was and is a striking and in your face bit of design.
    As 586 says... get sticking but don't get stuck!

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