WORLD OF WELCOME

Peace Palace The Hague, 2012

On the occasion of the centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague, a visitor center was built at the entrance gate, where a permanent exhibition about the history of the Peace Palace and the Carnegie Foundation is on display. Until the opening of this visitor center in 2012, the Peace Palace had been closed to the general public. The work World of Welcome is placed at the entrance and examines the meaning of the term ‘welcome’ in relation to the Peace Palace’s function as an international court of arbitration. 

World of Welcome is world map made up of the word ‘welcome’, handwritten in over 90 different languages by students, judges, diplomats and other citizens from around the world. The world map is made of patinated brass and gold leaf. 

A film portrait has been made of some of the students of the Summer School of Public and Private International Law who contributed to the work. This international group of future lawyers and judges, the judiciary of the future, discusses the meaning of the word ‘welcome’ in their culture.