Un Women in Kyrgyzstan - a movement towards justice
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In a project to engage women from around Kyrgyzstan in conversations about their rights as enshrined in the Kyrgyz constitution ActiveArt traveled to the far corners of the country to discuss and find out about women's experiences of endemic gender based issues such as bride kidnapping, extremely high maternal and child mortality rate, access to education, living with disability, being lesbian or trans*, being a young woman in a society that favours opportunities for men. After 3 months of workshops and stitching with over 200 women the quilt was 'gifted' to the supreme court in Kyrgyzstan as a reminder of the work to be done on the gap between the dejour realisation of women's human rights proclaimed by the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and their defacto realisation.
An in-depth look into this work here. |
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The Talking Quilt
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As part of the national UK research project Connected Communities ActiveArt worked with Spitalfields City Farm in London to create an interactive quilt.
Over the course of a summer, ActiveArt held workshops on the Farm with over 80 people exploring through conversation and sewing their connections to food, gardening and community. |
AHRC Research Project
ActiveArt were the community artists and facilitators for a community / university research team working to understand more about Community Gardening, Creativity and Everyday Culture funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. This was a follow on project from our Talking Quilt (2011) project with Spitalfields City Farm. This research aimed to explore the cross-section of community development and community supported agriculture in the UK through art making and gift exchange.
Women Connecting for Peace
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In 2010 ActiveArt worked with UNWomen and 2 groups of women from the conflict affected areas of Samegrelo and Shida Qartli, in Georgia. Over the course of an intensive month of discussions and making together the groups created a quilt and blog to convey their experiences and analysis of conflict and displacement.
Women Connecting for Peace Blog Images of the Women Connecting for Peace Quilt |
Mobilising Migrants in Kyrgyzstan: moving exhibition + cinema
This project was developed in partnership with the Social Research Centre (AUCA) and Red Crescent Kyrgyzstan. ActiveArt hosted a series of skills building workshops in textiles and digital media with domestic Kyrgyz migrants.
This mini-bus project was part of a campaign of social action to enable freedom of movement for domestic Kyrgyz migrants. The bus's external textile covering and internal cinema showing a short film created by the group was used to raise awareness in the media, amongst politicians, students, potential migrants and the public.
More images here.
This mini-bus project was part of a campaign of social action to enable freedom of movement for domestic Kyrgyz migrants. The bus's external textile covering and internal cinema showing a short film created by the group was used to raise awareness in the media, amongst politicians, students, potential migrants and the public.
More images here.
Trans*Active
Trans*Active –in this project ActiveArt worked with young trans* and gender variant people from around the UK to explore the barriers they faced in accessing sport - from taking part in gender-specific team sports, to lack of adequate changing facilities. During workshops participants created an installation artwork for a leisure centre which included sculpture and film work imagining an alternative less gender restrictive sporting world. The group set up a Trans*Active Tumblr site where people shared posts and insights for the duration of the project. The work was exhibited as part of LGBT History Month.
Queering the Pitch
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Working with London based performance artist Rachel Mars, ActiveArt caused a stir for International Day Against Homophobia in 2010. Primarily an art action this work gathered LBGT activists for a photoshoot in Tottenham Hotspurs premier league stadium - Whitehart Lane. These images were an exploration of hyper-masculinity and a re-staging of iconic homo-erotic footballer images with out and proud gay men.
On-line exhibition here. |
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Domestic Workers Speak Through Art, Ireland
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Taking part in monthly meeting to politicise and organise migrant domestic workers, ActiveArt worked with 60 women to create the Blurred Boundaries Quilt. The quilt was used as a platform to engage trade unions, employers and the general public in the fight for migrant domestic worker rights in Ireland. More on the Blurred Boundaries Quilt here. |
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LGBT Arts Festival, Kyrgyzstan
ActiveArt was commissioned by Labrys, an LGBT organisation in the Kyrgyz Republic, to develop the country’s first arts festival to celebrating its lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* community. As part of this exhibition ActiveArt developed the Q-Quilt, a textile triptych examining the current situation for LGBT people and imagining a future where all people live free from discrimination.
T-World Trans* Advocacy, Kyrgyzstan
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ActiveArt enabled the development and creation of T-World, a comic book by trans* activists in Kyrgyzstan, in partnership with LGBT organisation Labrys. The comic examines the negative impact of inadequate legislation on trans* people, and was intended as a tool to raise awareness about trans* identities and experiences. Recognised as best practice of new media in advocacy campaigning in the Kyrgyz Republic, the comic contributed to a successful campaign by Labrys to change national legislation, allowing trans* people to change their official gender without surgery. Click on pictures below to read T-World. |
Rebellion of the Elements Parade, Ireland
Commissioned by the Irish Department of the Environment ActiveArt created participatory pageant for the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin. With 150 participants this project developed a pageant storyline around climate change and imminent environmental disaster. More images here.
Nieu Bethesda Festival Of Lights, South Africa
In partnership with the First People's Art Centre in Nieu Bethesda, South Africa, ActiveArt ran lantern making and puppetry workshops for a performance and parade for the whole village. Named in the book 365 Ways to Change the World this parade and festival is now an established part of the work of the Centre and an alternative and magical way of ringing in the New Year.
More about the First People's Centre and the Festival of Light here
More about the First People's Centre and the Festival of Light here
Lord Mayors Show with Spitalfields City Farm, London
This was a colourful street production in collaboration with Spitalfields City Farm, celebrating the city and the farm with characters such as a giant piggy-bank, media sheep, CEO greedy goats, and the pompous goose queen aboard a bicycle, alongside a celebration of bees, the farm scarecrow and a green goddess.
More pictures or watch a short documentary of this project by Olivier Assoua - The Goat and the Gherkin.
More pictures or watch a short documentary of this project by Olivier Assoua - The Goat and the Gherkin.