Colombias President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2016. Three hours after the announcement, he found his place in the Nobel Field, together with all the laureates of the Nobel history.
As soon as a new Peace Prize laureate is announced, the committee starts the updating of the Peace Center’s permanent exhibitions, at first in the The Nobel Field, often named “the heart of the Nobel Peace Center”.
There, all laureates are presented on their own screen, surrounded by thousand small lights. Designer David Small is behind the concept, together with architect David Adjaye. He says the ambiance in the room is more important than the technology.
“We wanted to create something timeless. Here you can meet all the Peace Prize laureates from today and going back more than a century – all in the same room – and they even speak to each other.”
The Peace Prize Exhibition 2016
The Wall Papers are filled with information, photos, texts, videos and animations about the Peace Prize laureates’ life and work. On five large screens, you may navigate your way through facts about the Nobel Peace Prize, the Peace Prize laureates and the Nobel system. When the Nobel Peace Center opens to the public the morning after an announcement, photos and articles about the new laureate are on display. The audience can read about Santos’ background, Colombias’ history and the peace treaty with FARC. More than 2,800 other articles, 1,500 images and hundreds of videos and animations can be retrieved and explored.
Among those who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize since 1901, are some of the most significant figures in our recent history. True to their ideals, but at the same time focused on dialogue and collaboration, and of doing mankind good. Laureates like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Fridtjof Nansen, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Albert Schweitzer and Alva Myrdal all contribute to making the Nobel Peace Prize the world’s most prestigious prize.
In his testament from 1895 Alfred Nobel instructs the executors of the will to give the Peace Prize “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.
In The Nobel Chamber on the second level, you will find the magic book about Alfred Nobel’s fascinating life. Here, his experiences and inventions come to life. The book is in itself an adventure, and provides the visitors with a reading session very much out of the ordinary. There is also a lot of information about Alfred Nobel in The Wall Papers and on the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s website.
As soon as you enter the Nobel Peace Center you meet the Peace Prize laureates. Hanging from the ceiling is a warm and colorful installation. The Peace Cloud is a tribute to all the unique people and organizations that have received the Peace Prize since it was first awarded in 1901. The installation consists of 1000 round discs all varying in size and color, displaying either portraits or logos of all laureates. They have been split into six different categories and each has been allocated a color.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2016, source: Nobel Peace Center
Related articles:
Controversial Nobel Peace Prize Winners
Danish Nobel Winner Foiled the Führer