Talks
NO EDEN: ‘PROTEST, AND THE ART OF PROTEST’ A PANEL DISCUSSION
This panel discussion is part of the exhibition NO EDEN by the Reading-based artist Robert Fitzmaurice which is at Greenham Control Tower until 29th May.
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About the Event
OVERVIEW
Protest can take many forms. It is often encountered in public spaces and collective actions such as marches, rallies and graffiti, and of course at the peace camps of Greenham. Yet protest may also appear in other forms that are less immediate and interventionist such as texts, lectures and works of art. This discussion considers these different perspectives and what connections exist between making art and protesting.
THE PANELISTS
Dr Rebecca Johnson is the founding Co-Chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), 2017 Nobel Laureate, and long-time feminist peace campaigner. She lived at the Greenham Women’s Peace Camp from 1982-87, and will share stories and songs from that time.
Güler Ates makes art historical references which are both reverential and subversive. By acknowledging Orientalism, a genre created by and for European male artists that is often considered mere aesthetic indulgences of erotic desire rather than accurate or cognisant depictions of the Middle East, Ates asks us to reconsider these tropes.
Peter Driver is a multi-disciplinary artist, collaborator and teacher. He uses drawing, performative action, woodcut printmaking, and banner-making to think about art, environment, society and the common good. He favours the collaborative principle that the viewer plays a part in creating a work’s meaning.
Robert Fitzmaurice makes art about the human condition, rites of passage and identity. For NO EDEN he presents images that not only reflect upon gender roles highlighted by the history of the peace camps but also the problematic language used by men of power who since antiquity associate violence and destruction with virility.
The Chair
Meg Thomas is a director of Greenham Control Tower Ltd. She has a lifelong interest in the arts and since her retirement from medicine in 2014 has been active as a volunteer at local heritage sites and a board member since the creation of Greenham Control Ltd in 2017.
Each panelist will talk in turn about their own practice and opinions, followed by further group discussion.
There will be two sessions with a break in between for refreshments. The afternoon will close with panelists taking questions from the audience.
Supported using public funding by Arts Council England
MAY 23RD – 3PM TO 5PM
ENTRY IS FREE BUT YOU MUST REGISTER BELOW AS SPACES ARE LIMITED