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| Presented by Pope John Paul II on his visit to the UN 1979 |
Whatever your feelings about the UN as an institution, approaching the UN Headquarters in New York for the first time is just as exciting as seeing the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. It's exactly like you see it in the movies - riverside location, country flags flying, security on patrol.
When you do get inside though, the hustle-bustle of the place sometimes makes it difficult to really appreciate your surroundings. Pretty soon one Conference Room starts to look like the next, and you could almost be anywhere else in the world. But take the time to look around you, and you'll notice that right under your nose there are works of art, much of it museum-quality, from all corners of the globe.
Elaborately carved stone like this one from Syria shares space alongside a wooden sculpture from the Philippines, bronze figures from the Krygyz Republic and from Poland, and some very trendy modern art from Ecuador.
And there are sparkly gold treasures too, like the box from Malaysia (left) and the Buddha relics, donated by a combination of countries.
One of the most popular art collections at the UN, and particularly the most photographed, are the "portraits" of the UN Secretarys-General. From a distance they look like framed oil paintings but look closer, and you'll see they're actually beautiful, finely-woven carpets from the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is not unusual to see visitors (and some UN delegates) lining up along the wall to take selfies with their favourite SG, including Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros Ghali, and even U Thant (top row on the right), whose namesake island we have reviewed on this site already.
One good thing about the UN is that it isn't short on wall space, and that is a bonus when you need to find room for some impressive tapestries, such as the one below, from Panama. This one is my favourite because of the unashamed use of colour, the flowers, and the animals. It reminds me of a kids book or a 1970s quilt cover, but I love that.
Some of the artworks are less whimsical of course, though I guess it's hard to be playful when you want your design to commemorate a serious event in history - such as the tapestry below from Belarus, which is entitled "Chernobyl".
But the global art project doesn't end when you get outside. Today's sunny weather gave me a great chance to appreciate the piece of the Berlin Wall, the UN Slavery Memorial, and the other large works on display on the banks of the East River.
And maybe I was just too accustomed to browsing the static art, but I was quite taken by surprise today when I saw movement in my peripheral vision and spotted a live gopher gnawing on the fresh, green grass of the UN lawns.
I've never actually seen a real gopher before (other than Staten Island Chuck on the TV). This little fella didn't seem to mind me staring at him, or taking photos of the artwork on "his" front lawn. All the same though, we regarded one another carefully. A delegation of Brazilian visitors arrived at that point and we pointed and stared at the Gopher, as he nonchalantly stared back.I bravely ventured out alone onto the lawns to get my photos, bending down a little to let the gopher know I didn't mean him any harm. I found myself making noises like Skippy the bush kangaroo, clicking my tongue. Well I didn't know what noise gophers make - I was trying to be non-threatening! He didn't seem to notice, let alone mind. He tolerated my presence for a while and then took off to hide under a pile of wood.
As I came back to the footpath, Mr Brazil asked me if it was a boy gopher, or a girl gopher. I thought for a minute and replied, "Well, when I approached it, he took off - he must be a boy!". And we laughed heartily.
Laughter - the universal but unofficial 7th language of the UN.
