"6 Billion and Others": The Global Exhibition on Sustainable Earth

This extraordinary educational and inspiring exhibition, presented through five audiovisual installations, was grandly displayed at the Grand Palais in Paris from January 10 to February 12 this year. "6 Billion and Others" is a global project curated by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, one of today's most famous French photographers, following the unprecedented success of his 2003 aerial photography exhibition, alongside Sibylle d'Orgeval and Bastiste Rouget-Luchaire. Six young directors spent five years traveling across 75 countries worldwide, collecting interviews with 5,000 people from all social strata like anthropologists going up mountains and down to seas. From Brazilian fishermen to Cambodian farmers, German artists to Afghan civilians, French residents to Tahitian indigenous people, African refugees to Iraqi soldiers, Arab women to Russian merchants, Chinese people in the East to Westerners, commoners or scholars, men or women—regardless of geography, customs, and cultural background—they answered the same vital life questions: their hopes, dreams, trials, and anxieties. What did you learn from your parents? What do you wish to pass on to your children? What trials have you undergone in life? What does love mean to you? Through these forty-plus major life topics, we understand what is common or different among us in today's global village, shaping the overall portrait of humanity today. From the perspective of emphasizing sustainable earth management today, this exhibition prompts us to recognize and understand each other, resolving world barriers and conflicts. Facing current issues such as the global financial crisis, global warming, and global food and natural resources—the fundamental premise of human coexistence—the close relationship among family members of the global village makes maintaining and sustainably managing humanity's home, Earth, a future topic for human coexistence.

The "6 Billion and Others" grand exhibition is built on the presentation of audiovisual art forms within the magnificent venue of the Grand Palais. At its core are portraits of people from the global village suspended like yurts in the center, allowing people to see inside and outside all races and faces, men and women of various skin tones and faces, wearing hats or scarves, young or old, densely packed like ethnographies. Visitors can sit inside the yurts to view these portraits of humanity united as one family. On the left and right sides of the exhibition hall are series of colorful yurt-style audio-visual rooms, each with its own theme, such as love, money, happiness, joy, anger, gods, discrimination, emotions, trials, family, war, identity, freedom, world, death, nature, country, anxiety, crying, politics, dreams, memories, work, life, and violence. Visitors can freely choose the topics they wish to visit; inside, rows of chairs and benches are arranged, continuously playing these interview collections on flat-screen TVs or multiple screens. Although residents of the global village differ due to geographical landscapes, cultural backgrounds, and perspectives, they are almost identical when facing the essential nature of life. This exhibition allows people to mutually recognize, respect, appreciate, and understand each other's human condition and various life encounters, helping people cherish and protect more, making the maintenance of human rights a sacred mission and a path to sustainable co-prosperity for the Earth. Different chairs are displayed between these audiovisual yurts for people to rest, along with four audience participation discussion and interview rooms. Additionally, experts and scholars regularly participate in joint dialogues, and visitors can directly leave comments online regarding their visits and perspectives on life. Blog readers interested in this can visit www.6bilionothers.org and www.goodplanet.org to learn more details and participate in dialogues and witness experiences.