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| On the Front of the Building |
| Tom King |
| On the front of the building: our spectacular 12 metre banner – first seen last year. It shows the work of documentary photographer Tom King and his image of Iranian asylum seeker Shahriar, who Tom found sleeping rough in Wallsend. The banner was printed and rigged by c3imaging . |
Tom King has an MA in photojournalism and documentary photography from the London College of Communication . Two of his recent projects, focusing on the individual situations of asylum seekers and refugees, were presented in the 2008 exhibition.
Tom was introduced to the Pierian Centre by John Easterby who is Director of Photography at LCC and curator of the 2008 Tom Stoddart exhibition at Temple Meads. |
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Project 2: Refused
Shahriar is a failed asylum seeker who, after fleeing Iran and leaving his home and family, was sleeping rough in one of England's northern cities. One year after coming to the UK he lost everything. His case was refused, his financial and housing support was withdrawn and, without a work permit, he spent his days searching for food and a warm place to stay.
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| CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF TOM'S WORK |
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| The Healing Room |
| Shula |
| Paintings in coffee by Kurdish artist Shula –who studied fine art & sculpture at the Institute
of Fine Art in Iraq. She sought asylum here in 2004. |
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| CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF SHULA'S WORK FROM PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS |
Also two videos: Forced to Flee: the voices behind the asylum myths by Refugee
Action ; and a short film about cycling, recycling & asylum by the Bristol Bike Project focusing on
the stories of Dahir from Somalia and Aziz from Afghanistan. |
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| The Well Room |
A display of pictures by people who attend an art group at Bristol Refugee Rights drop-in centre in Easton.
Also an installation by the Caravanseri and Bristol Hospitality Network. |
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The hospitality network is a group of people offering destitute asylum seekers in Bristol somewhere to stay. The network is connected to Bristol Refugee Rights Welcome Centre, a voluntary organisation that supports the legal and practical aspects of individual 'guests'. Hosts offer spare rooms to destitute asylum seekers for anything from three weeks to three months or longer and some also provide meals. A link-person from the network is available to all parties concerned and facilitates regular three-way conversations.
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| The aim of the installation, and the network as a whole, is to raise awareness of the unjust political processes which result in forced homelessness and to show the act of offering accommodation to be primarily one of solidarity rather than simply charity |
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The 'Welcome Centre' group exhibiteded 20 drawings and paintings, this is what they say about their work :The pictures are by men and women who attend a drop-in centre for refugees and asylum seekers in Easton, Bristol run by Bristol Refugee Rights.
Most of these artists have not done any art as adults at all. Some have done a little at school. One of our users, Tashi, was an artist in Tibet and his expertise is very evident.
Certain themes crop up in the pictures very often. A group of our users are young Kurdish men from northern Iraq. They often do pictures of their homeland; the mountains with a river and a farm with animals and fruit trees. One of them told us that this picture was often a subject for boys at school, while girls did a different subject, perhaps a wedding.
Some pictures are more clearly political or express emotions - rage and homesickness .
Other pictures are perhaps more decorative - patterns, trees and flowers.
The art group meets weekly and is run by volunteers who are not art teachers. If people are stuck for an idea I may say "why not do something about you country - your house or your
farm?" Other times people know straight away what it is they want to do. We do not
analyse the pictures, we hope doing them just gives pleasure, to the artists and to us.
Naomi Roberts and Judith Wainwright |
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| The Morning Room |
Farhad Rajabali |
An exhibition of photographs by Farhad Rajabali of last year’s protests in the streets of Tehran – and their brutal suppression. Stands profiling the work of the Red Cross and of Refugee Action. An evocative display of material documenting the history of Bristol’s black communities by Bristol Black Archives Partnership. |
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Reception |
Ricky Romain
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Without Power, Without Voice(Newsreel Series) – this 2005 painting is by Ricky Romain – and is part of our permanent display from past Celebrating Sanctuary exhibitions. |
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Banner of Tom Stoddard’s photo Siblings at the Feeding Station –
commemorating our display of 17 four metre high banners hung at Temple Meads station for Refugee Week 2008.
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| Freeman Room & Music Room : |
Ricky Romain & Heather Fallows |
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| The Landing |
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Photo-poetry exhibition by Houri Ghamian. |
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When the sleepy grass wakes up
Seasons of distance are crossed
The discoverers of horizons winners of love
And the migration of birds end...
"I did not say goodbye"
A few pages from a refugee’s diary. |
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| The Lounge |
| Four Artists |
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Janet Roome – “ My work is about the kind of emotional sanctuary people took during the Second World War.”
Waricha Daochai ’s Where Are Their Commanders, When the Soldiers Get Killed?
Terry Piper – “ I’d watched Comic Relief and found the rich red and gold texture on this piece evoked the potential for Africa but it’s wasted through war and greed of the powerful.”
Fiona Kam Meadley ’s DVD Barton Street Recordings – exploring the role of language in defining identity.
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| The Little Room |
| Map of Origins |
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Map of Your Roots of Origin – place a dot on the country(s) that are part of your journey through life. Our Comments Book is here for your thoughts – and the Little Room is also a quiet space for Contemplation.
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