Standing with the Mandela statue outside the Royal Festival Hall, London, plenty of people rushed passed and through and in front. I wouldn’t blame them, the wind was howling and it was winter-dark.
Mandela meanwhile stood monumental. Definitely at one in this space, letting the world carry on around him.
Its such a great statue of one our world’s most inspirising public figures. Here are my two tributes to him.
Today, 13th November 2010, Aung San Sui Kyi is released from house arrest. She is a beacon of hope for the people living in Burma, and a beacon of moral strength shining around the world. I’m sure its why I’ve been in a good mood all day.
In London yesterday, by the Royal Festival Hall, I was captivated by the large portrait statue of Nelson Mandela. Imprisoned for 27 years his mental strength continues to reverberate across our peoples. Now 92 (or thereabouts) his close friends have called for people to lay off him (I think I could word that better) as he has 4000 approaches every day (for signature, blessing, attendance). Did I read that right? Possibly it was 4000 a week. Anyway I’m digressing. What’s fascinating is the power of individuals such as Nelson Mandela and Aung San Sui Kyi to reverberate postivity across the borders and inspire so much hope to so many.
So I’ve been looking at the press photos of Aung San Sui Kyi’s release today. I’m looking to see if I can actually see ‘freedom’.
Perhaps that’s a silly thing to do, but I think I know why I’m doing it. How can we visualise freedom?
The images are from http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/13/2427846/myanm…
Train journeys are ideal for playing. With i-stop motion, with digital photos in photoshop. I had a happy 3 hours this afternoon from Paddington to Exeter. I was excited the find the ‘print as flip book’ option in i-stop motion. Now that gives me ideas.
Back to the point of this post.
I’m working through ideas for a book arts project I’m involved in. Artists are being called on to create 3 books in response to the bombing of Al Mutanabbi street in Bagdad March 2007. Al Mutanabbi street is the cultural and literary hub of Baghdad, and of Iraq and has been so since the 9th C or so. A San Francisco bookstore owner Beau Beausoleil started the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition, a growing group of local writers, artists, poets, and printers, who create awareness about the bombing of Al-Mutanabbi Street through print. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=85909663901#!/group.php?gid=85909663901&v=wall
These are digitally created using photographs I took originally to create an animation called ‘The house that Jack built’ that I haven’t the patience for right now. Using cut offs of lino I was interested to use them in printmaking also.
Possibly I’ll now use these images in traditional print, possibly photoetch. Possibly I’ll leave them as they are.
Artist working with printmaking, drawing and film. Just finished a Masters in Multidisciplinary Printmaking at the University of the West of England. A director with Double Elephant Print Workshop in Exeter.
