A picture by photographer Emma Stoner has been selected to be displayed on the 'Plinth of Peace' on Parliament Square this month.

The photo was captured in the very place where it is displayed - opposite the Houses of Parliament. It captures one of many dramatic moments from 'democracy village' when protesters took over parliament square in Summer 2010 for almost 3 months turning the green into a tented camp.
The Activists were calling for peace and an end to the war in Afghanistan. The Mayor of London took the issue all the way to the high court and the camp was eventually evicted on the 20th July.  At the square, the core activist group were overrun by homeless people, alcoholics and drug addicts who found a new home and community spirit on the green.

 

 

'The 'Peace of Art' image was taken at a spontaneous protest on the 2nd of July 2010, the date was initially given by the judge as the final date of eviction. After a day of uncertainty and unrest activists from the camp headed to the gates of Parliament with peace-flags, followed closely by a throng of press photographers and journalists. After hanging the flags on the gate, they blockaded the road to demand peace and draw further attention to their cause. This picture captures a joyful moment between a young couple living on the square and the euphoric mood of the protest after a dramatic day. Many of the protesters were arrested later that evening and Simon and Anita (pictured) served short-term prison sentences for their part in the action.'  Emma Stoner

 

'Captures all the joy and emotion of peace and good energy!'

 

There continues to be a tremendous response to our call out to artists to produce work promoting peace and end to war.   To view a selection of the entries click here

 

Submit Your Own Work to 'Peace of Art'
You can submit your proposed piece to peacestrike@artbelow.org.uk in jpeg format.
To view further information including technical specifications click here

Submissions are judged by Peace Strike and Art Below. Selected works are displayed on large wooden plynths in monthly periods throughout 2011. There is no charge for entering or displaying your work in 'Peace of Art'

 

Whilst on tour with the British Army in Afghanistan, photographer Bran Symondson became captivated by the private lives and remarkable contradictions of the life of the Afghan National policeman (A.N.P). Bran's extraordinary photographs from within their compounds reveal the secret side of men bound together emotionally and sexually.

 

Returning as a commissioned photographer, Bran's photographs represent a side of the conflict that has remained completely untold until now. For the first time, an exhibition of his remarkable work will be on show, centering around images that lay bare a unique perspective on the current conflict.

 

“A unique set of provocative and intimate images that explore the complex relationships of ‘brothers in arms’”
Jon Jones - The Sunday Times Magazine
 
Launch
27/01/11
 
Press / VIP preview:     5.30 - 6.30pm
Private View:                6.30 - 8.30pm
 
Intimate relationships are prominent in Bran’s work, which shows the strong bonds these men share. In a culture where women are hidden away in compounds, men turn to each other for comfort and sexual gratification. Take the ‘Chai boy’, who, likened to the role of a 'courtesan' is educated and cared for in return for sexual acts and can subsequently manipulate his adoring circle. The images are all the more surprising in a culture where homosexuality is punishable by death.
 
This is your chance to see it first
RSVP to galleryassistant@ideageneration.co.uk
 
Guest list spots for the launch are very limited and so will be allocated strictly on a first come first served basis. For the most up to the minute information please visit our new website, Facebook page or Twitter feed.
 
“I genuinely believe that Bran’s extraordinary pictures could become images by which this conflict is remembered for decades to come. I cannot praise them, or Bran’s courageousness and talent, highly enough. Bran’s photographs are unlike any I have ever seen. An enormously accomplished reportage photographer, his outlook is unique.”
James Mullinger, Photo Editor, GQ Magazine
 
 
Exhibition open to the public
28/01/11 - 20/02/11

 

 

 

Now in its 3rd year the Asia House Pan-Asia Film Festival returns to London from 2–13 March 2011 and brings together some of the freshest, emerging talent alongside work by established filmmakers to reflect the vibrancy and energy in Asian filmmaking today. Uniquely showcasing pan-Asian contemporary cinema from across the region, feature-length films and documentaries selected represent 13 countries and include 3 UK and 3 English premieres.
 
The Festival opens on 2 March at BAFTA with the English premiere of NORWEGIAN WOOD by Academy Award® nominated Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung (THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA), and closes with the London premiere of AU REVOIR TAIPEI, the award-winning debut feature by American-Taiwanese director Arvin Chen, with veteran German filmmaker Wim Wenders as executive producer.
 
“Asian filmmaking is thriving and this exciting selection of films fully reflects the fresh and vibrant cinema coming out of Asia today. These films introduce us to the diversity of its cultures and its peoples, with gritty and realist stories on one hand, enchanting and beautiful stories on the other, taking us to far-flung corners of the continent. This festival will be a must-see for London audiences with not only an interest in all things Asian, but equally for those with a love of cinema.”
Sonali Joshi, Artistic Director
 
The 2011 programme covers a range of themes illustrating the diversity of the cultures of Asia – from the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan), to Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan), to South Asia (Bhutan, Burma, India, Tibet), to East Asia (China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan), highlighting filmmaking talent from lesser-known Asian film industries whilst also confirming the influence and breadth of Asia’s more established industries. The Festival will include films set in urban as well as rural landscapes with dramas, coming of age films and comedies as well as documentaries on human rights and social issues.
 
For further information and images please contact
Sophie da Gama Campos or Laura Callendar at JB Pelham PR

sophie@jbpelhampr.com

 

 

 

The Mosaic Rooms
6.30–8:30pm
Thursday 27th January, 2011

RSVP 0207 370 9990 or info@mosaicrooms.org

The exhibition will raise funds to support the individuals featured in the photographs, in cooperation with Welfare Association (UK).

Exhibition continues until 12.02.11
Open Mon-Fri 11-6pm, Sat 11-4pm
Artist’s talk Saturday 29th January 12pm

The Mosaic Rooms brings some of
the most exciting, progressive and innovative contemporary creative
voices in the Middle East to London.    The Mosaic Rooms
226 Cromwell Road
London SW5 0SW
www.mosaicrooms.org

 

And Then The World Presents – A monthly talk exploring the latest innovations in the creative industry.

Curator and cultural brand strategy consultant, Lucy Johnston, talks about the social curation work of her innovative studio The Neon Birdcage, and introduces the studio’s latest project, BrightYoungBrits™ – a new initiative to promote the rising creative talent of Britain's under 30s 'ideas generation' – introducing three inspirational, visionary young stars of the BYB™ collective:

1. Gastronomic adventurer and jelly pioneer Sam Bompas of Bompas&Parr
2. Sumptuous couture fashion designer Judy Clark, who is flying in from Edinburgh
3. Flamboyant singer-songwriter Gabby Young, of the band Gabby Young & Other Animals, who will also perform an exclusive sample acoustic set.

BYB™ guest biographies:

Sam Bompas & Harry Parr

Bompas & Parr design spectacular food experiences often working on an architectural scale with cutting edge technology.  Projects explore how the taste of food is altered through synaesthesia, performance and setting.

Recent projects include a vast glowing jelly installation for San Francisco MoMA; Alcoholic Architecture, a walk in cloud of breathable G&T in Newburgh Street, London; and the Architectural Punchbowl where they flooded the billiard room of a Georgian mansion house with 4-tonnes of Courvoisier punch.

www.jellymongers.co.uk

Judy Clark

Bespoke womenswear designer, Judy Clark, creates stunning one-off embellished pieces using the finest of Scottish wools and Harris tweed, much of which is hand woven by her great-uncle Donald in the Hebrides.
Graduating from Herriot Watt University in 2006, Judy undertook an internship with fashion designer Alexander McQueen in London, before returning to her native Scotland to set up her studio. She has been showcased internationally and was nominated designer of the year at the Scottish Style Awards 2009.

www.judyrclark.com

Gabby Young

Described as “as much art-school as Agent Provocateur”, singer-songwriter Gabby Young is classically trained, but her songs are influenced by a diverse range of musical tastes that include pop, rock, folk, jazz, funk and experimental.  At 22, she overcame thyroid cancer and her voice has been described as having a vocal range that would “melt marble at a hundred paces”.

With a list of accolades as long as a pair of stripy tights, the ‘world’s finest purveyors of circus swing’ have now released debut album We’re All In This Together, and will be performing a concert at the Barbican on Jan 29th – then a short exclusive sample acoustic set for BYB™ at the Hospital Club on Jan 31st – before touring to Australia and the US.

gabbyyoungandotheranimals.com