Amid the stacks of books and the students on the computers, amid the hushed buzz of learning at the Miami-Dade Main Library, four mannequins varnished in red form a provocative exhibit about domestic violence.

Powerful in its simplicity, SEE RED shows the mannequins standing in a row, shoulder to shoulder, each representing a facet of a relationship gone wrong: a husband, a wife, a co-worker, a friend.

But unlike other campaigns, which typically are aimed at the one in four women who will experience abuse in their lifetimes, this one seeks to reach batterers.

``It's all about awareness, to get people thinking about how domestic violence impacts families and the community,'' says Chuck Hamby, public relations manager for the Florida region of Verizon Wireless, which created and sponsors the exhibit.

``The saying goes when you are very angry, you see red. We aimed this at the batterers who see red and the victims, even family members. We want people to see the signs and stop before the violence.''

The exhibit, which has traveled around Florida, is on display near the entrance at the Miami library through October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

In a space that houses limitless knowledge, in mannequins swathed in the hue of rage, viewers are challenged to break the cycle of violence.

The installation includes placards that introduce a couple and two people in their lives.

Pamela describes Frank's beatings, which have sent her to the hospital for stitches several times. He once pulled her out of a moving car to keep her from leaving. Despite their battles, she never leaves, perhaps because she carries his child.

A colleague named Jennifer recalls Pamela coming to work with a black eye and bruises, and finally confronting her. A friend named John says Frank wasn't always violent, but adds that he once had to take an injured Pamela to the hospital. He fears for the unborn baby.

And Frank admits that jealousy drives his anger. He says his slide into abuse was an accident -- or at least that's what he told her.

Pamela and Frank's story cuts especially deep with Carolyn Lordeus, 37, a mother of four who was in an abusive relationship for six years.

``I was faced with verbal, physical and emotional abuse. I saw no way out until one brutal night, he beat me to the point that my jaw was dislocated,'' says Lordeus, who had a troubled background of her own.

``I went to Safespace and was in counseling there to get myself together. Gradually, I learned that this wasn't my fault and I finally started to rebuild myself and my self-esteem.''

Safespace Foundation is a nonprofit that supports domestic violence victims and survivors through partnerships with Miami-Dade County agencies that offer shelter, transitional housing and financial aid.

Since leaving her live-in boyfriend, Lordeus has enrolled at Miami Dade College, found full-time work -- and become a Safespace board member.

``Once you go through something like this, you are stronger,'' she says. ``I know why victims don't tell -- often it's out of shame. But you have to speak out to stop the cycle.''

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