Borders

What do you see? A land mass here, some water there.

For me, the first thing that jumps out is the confidence of the map makers to demark certain areas of land as different colours, split by the permanence of a small black line. This side of the line identifies themselves with one culture, cultural idea or

centralised government, and the other side identify with another.

Here in the west we are completely comfortable with this. If you travel across Europe you can cross these imaginary lines and seamlessly the culture and language will change with you. One second you are in Germany, the next

second France. In one place you will eat Bratwurst, the other Crepes.

The reality of the situation is that there is no difference in the land, it is a cultural choice built on more than 2000 years of bloodthirsty invasions and attacks, back and forth. These lines have stayed roughly the same over the years, with the major change in the last 200-300 years being the collapse of the USSR, suddenly gifting borders to cultures previously hoovered up by this behemoth of a country. This giant anomaly aside, we western Europeans haven’t really suffered any significant permanent border changes. Lucky us. We usually save that for some other country, placing our understanding of a country within these restrictive lines irrespective of the fact that these lines could split cultures and cultural lands actually causing more division and slaughter.

As Frankie Boyle points out, our western ideas of borders and politics have been based on dominance. We “liberate” a country here, “save” a town or country here from the “barbaric idealism” of another group of people armed with guns. But we very rarely change our maps, even though an Afghanistan of one decade is dramatically different to an Afghanistan of another, the land mass stays the same colour and shape. We haven’t changed anything, we’ve liberated the people. Aren’t we good? Let’s pat ourselves on the back and not think of ourselves as an invading force, that is definitely someone else.

The first thing a reader has got to realise before progressing in the magazine is that the theme of “borders” was decided weeks ago, before the Paris attacks. This theme has become even more relevant than it was before as the focus of the media shifts to the difference (the “border” if you will) between “refugees”, “economic migrants” and “terrorists”. The reality is that these are not necessarily gigantic differences between them. If you bomb a house

with ten people inside seven might die, the last three left to fend for themselves. Two might flee the country to become a “refugee” (eventually becoming an “economic migrant” if y’know he/she gets a job) the other might stay and question the wisdom of the bombing.

Why my family?

Why my mother, father, son, brother, sister, daughter?

Why bomb my house? My life? My sense of self?

This last person is in a vulnerable state and might well find him/herself “radicalised” and become a fighter against the “west”. This giant collection of countries that, in the eyes of the man/woman left with nothing, able to bomb his/her house without any worry or sanctions.

The time has come to stop splitting up the world. Why is one section one person’s and one section someone else’s? It’s all just land; land that nobody owns. The senseless cyclical nature of violence breeding violence has become outdated in a world where we can communicate instantly with someone thousands of miles away in another country and another culture from the comfort of our own home. So why do we insist on continuing this outdated method of splitting up the world into lines and borders? Surely the time has come for something else, something more transient and harder to understand maybe, but something that encourages communication and empathy, rather than dominance and attack.

The time has come to talk.

This issue of ArtPLUS will have a look at a few people challenging these ideas, and hopefully give you some great art as well.

Enjoy,

Chris.

Look at a map of the world...

If you would like to feature in the next magazine please contact chris@artinbrighton.

co.uk. Designed and Created by Christopher Spring.

What is the value of Nationalism in an increasingly globalised society?Thizer Graham investigates

As I sit here at my desk, world map sprawled out in front of me with its borders confidently marking out oddly shaped national territories, all neatly labelled and colour coded, I consider that it is extremely easy to assume that all of these nations are a naturally occurring phenomenon. As naturally occurring as the land formations and vast oceans I see in front of me on that same map. We are taught not to question the difference. But when we picture the real world, when we think back to the last time we were in an aeroplane, flying thousands of miles above the earth, we cant recall actually seeing any tangible, naturally occurring barriers dividing the nations. This is because nations are not a natural occurrence, and the borders between them do not happen by accident. In his book Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism (1983), Benedict Anderson outlines that it is important that we remember that nations are fundamentally “fabrications[…] the nation is primarily an idea.” In essence, they are “an imagined political community”(p.6). It is important to note here that when I refer to ‘nationalism’, I am not referring to the authentic sense of community and comradeship that develops between people who have come together naturally. I refer specifically to the greater artificial communities forged via the construction of national territories.

Most citizens of a nation will never have any awareness of each others’ existence, however, the mutual sense of national belonging that nationalism incites is extremely powerful. Despite there being as many different versions of history as there are narrators, in his book Beginning Postcolonialism, John McLeod (2000) comments that nations “concoct a unique sense of shared history and common

origins of its people [and] stimulate the people’s sense that they are the rightful owners of a specific land”(p.69). As one of the most powerful and significant modes of socio-political organisation in the modern world, this sense of national belonging/ownership is paramount. The historical narrative is a fundamental device used in nationalism, as it explains the nation’s origins and constructs a national identity, linking the current nation to previous nations of national subjects. It is emotive, and citizens are encouraged to take pride in the endeavours and battles fought in their name, despite the fact that in actuality there probably isn’t any correlation between them and these events whatsoever. Equally, national anthems and flags are produced as a focal point around which national pride is incited and social conformity is covertly encouraged. A national culture must be ceaselessly performed and in this sense, the people are the subjects of national discourses.

Academics in the field generally concur that the concept of nation is western in its origins. As Mc Leod explains, it “[emerged] with the growth of Western capitalism and industrialism and was a fundamental component of imperialist expansion.”(p.68). Control and social order were indeed necessary during the imperialist period in order to maintain their command over all of their newly conquered territories. Nationalism’s influence relies on its ability to unite the nation, and this is done primarily via nationalist representations of ‘otherness’. Every nationalist definition of identity is defined in relation to something else, or someone who is the ‘other’. McLeod elaborates on this by stating, “the placing of imaginative borders between nations is fundamental to their existence, not least

because borders divide that nation’s people from others outside. Nations place borders that separate the people ‘within’ from different peoples outside.”(p.74). Despite there being many positives to social unity, McLeod outlines here, the central problem with nationalism. It is explicitly exclusive and it depends on this exclusivity in order to function. In this way colonialism attempts to justify itself “with recourse to nationalism as a liberal, morally just, crusade to conquer the perceived ignorance and savagery of others”(p.105). Much of colonialism was justified by establishing this fear of the ‘other’ within society in order to facilitate their imperialist agendas, and this narrative is still a prevalent form of manipulation in today’s nationalist culture.

Despite being shrouded by myths of inclusivity and collectivity, nationalism is founded upon this principal that individuals must meet certain criteria in order to be included. Although it successfully marginalises those individuals deemed unworthy, paradoxically the homogeneous, uniform society that it attempts to create can never be realised. This is because – as mentioned earlier - the nation depends on its subjects ‘performing’ the appointed culture, and this fickle performative aspect enables the marginalised to participate. People such as the working class, women, those of a different ethnicity/race and migrants are able to ‘intervene’ in the performance and challenge these exclusive representations with diverse narratives of their own. In his book, DissemiNation: Time, Narrative and the Margins of the Modern Nation(1990), Homi K. Bhabha comments that we are hence “confronted with the nation split within itself, articulating the heterogeneity of its population”(p.148). This split forces the alienated nation

to confront its own myths of origin and homogeneity, fragmenting the very foundations of the nationalist narrative. Although national discourses are powerful divisive tools, there can never be any one, coherent, common narrative through which a nation and its people can be adequately captured.

I alluded earlier to the origins of nationalism in relation to its significance during colonialism. The organization of these nations, the mapping out of their national territories via the construction of borders, not only characterised that period, but the ramifications of post-colonialism were protracted. Such clearly defined territorial borders had not existed prior to colonialism, and in calling for national liberation, many nations were working with the map of the world drawn by the colonisers. For example, at the Berlin Conference of 1885, the Western powers gathered in order to divide Africa between themselves, illustrating a map of the continent with copious capricious borders. These new colonial borders outlining the new ‘nations’ ignored the Africans’ own map of the continent and reorganised their political space. They divided indigenous tribal lands and bound African peoples and tribes who were in conflict or did not share any natural sense of comradeship. Imperialists often had the express political aim of dividing cultural entities for greater ease of domination.

Because of the arbitrary organisation of national borders, which ignores naturally occurring communities in order to facilitate the coloniser’s capitalist agendas, many newly independent nations have struggled, with some even erupting in civil wars. McLeod comments on the liberation of nations in his book stating, “Many [newly liberated] nations

have struggled with the international differences that threaten the production of national unity… This does not simply reflect a political failure on the part of the newly independent nations, but perhaps reveals a problem inherent in the concept of the nation itself”(p.103). This is because those nations were never naturally unified to begin with. The inherent problem with nationalism is that it is artificial. Nevertheless, lingering nationalist narratives like to use these failures in order to justify colonialism, claiming that the nations they forced upon the people are now ‘incapable’ of ruling themselves, and were better off being ruled by colonial powers.

Nigeria serves as a good example of this post-independence struggle. It inherited its borders from Britain in 1914, with its construction consequently resulting in an intersection of many different African peoples and ethnic/religious groups. Due to this, instilling a sense of national unity between those within the territorial borders has been problematic, and has lead to bloody conflicts in recent years. In 1966, six years post-independence, two opposing military coups went to war, resulting in bloodshed and enforced migrations, and in 1967 the eastern region separated itself and declared itself the republic of Biafra. The civil war continued until 1970 when the Biafran forces surrendered and after one million people had been killed. Two more military coups followed in 1975 and 1976, and since, the region has been battling between elected governments and military rule.

Equally, the Syrian civil war has become a prevalent news feature, with ceaseless media coverage focusing on those escaping persecution, resulting in the mass exodus

that is the current European refugee crisis. Much of the mainstream coverage has been constructed in accordance colonial nationalist narratives, painting the refugees as an alien ‘other’ who should be feared. Not much however, has been reported in regards to the cause of the problem; arguably the most essential part of the story. Many of these accounts are specifically designed to evoke widespread fear throughout, not only Europe, but the entire first world, depicting the refugees as threats to our national security and homogeneity. This nationalist mediation has been extremely effective in its attempts to preserve social uniformity at the sole expense of the refugees, who are losing their lives on a mass scale.

The modern nation of Syria’s was founded by colonial France in 1920 at the San Remo conference. Syria was divided into three separate regions, with the Druze inhabiting the south and the Alawis settling on the coast. Due to the coalescence of these opposing groups, numerous power struggles and civil wars erupted, and Syria maintained an almost permanent state of unrest. Finally in September 1936, France and Syria negotiated a treaty of independence, however this never materialized, as France refused to pass the legislation, nor would they relinquish their military and economic dominance. Despite putting increasing pressure on the French in 1941 for their emancipation, it was not until 1944 that it was granted, though the slow pace of French withdrawal lead to intense social unrest. Eventually, in 1946, Syrian nationalist groups forced the French to evacuate, with Syria securing official independence on 17 April 1946. Disastrously, Syrian politics since independence has been characterized by disharmony

and mutiny. Again, there were no great, authentic unifying qualities between the subjects of the artificial nation. Recurrent upheavals, military brutality, civil rebellion and riots dominated the 1960s, and since, Syria has been void of any real or consistent leadership. Currently, Syria is in a state of tyranny with Bashar Hafez al-Assad heading an extremely malignant dictatorship. Multitudinous separate rebel forces have stepped up to combat the Assad regime, resulting in Syria becoming an inhabitable war zone, yet although some of the rebel forces are well intended and are fighting for democracy, others such as Isis famously aren’t.

Despite all of the promise that colonial emancipation incites, the lasting effects and implications of colonialism are not as easily overcome. For many, the term ‘nation’ connotes liberty and universal suffrage, however, it is complicit in autocratic forms of government and supremacy. In his book, Benedict Anderson alludes to this by stating that, “The nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately, it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past few centuries, for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings” (p.7). Decolonisation is progressive, and should be revered as a wholly positive and constructive global development, yet the movement was somewhat doomed from the start, as the newly independent nations are still operating within the constraints of the nationalist discourse. They still aren’t truly free.

In light of the above examples, I find myself asking how productive the myth of the nation is in the decolonised world. It may well have proven to be a valuable tool during colonialism, but

how valuable is it in the present day. In many cases, its exclusive nature incites marginalisation, oppression and even xenophobia, and although the cultural spaces that national borders have created can be celebrated to an extent, we must remember that nations are primarily “fabrications.” We do not have to be constrained by its more negative facets. We, as responsible and rational humans, should be able to reject nationalism’s rigid idealisation of homogeneity, uniformity and subordination. “In a world of instant mass communications, multinational capitalism and global travel, archaic notions of nationalism and national identity seem increasingly anachronistic”(McLeod, p. 83). The world is increasingly becoming more international, and nations more multinational, and therefore diversity and multiplicity should be celebrated. Most importantly, we certainly should not turn away those who seek refuge from persecution because we are too fearful of threatening our archaic, artificial national narratives.

Selected Reading

Anderson, Benedict. (1983) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.

Bhabha, Homi K. (1990) DissemiNation: Time, Narrative and the Margins of the Modern Nation. London: Routledge.

McLeod, John. (2000) Beginning Postcolonialism. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

By Thizer Graham

Films Without BordersThroughout years of indoctrination by

mainstream media coverage, we have been trained

to ignore the humanitarian effects of war. A

by-product of the violence and deaths are the

lives affected and uprooted by the violence.

Films without Borders is an initiative set

up to bring entertainment and (hopefully)

entertaining surroundings to people in refugee

camps such as the large one in Calais we hear

so much about.

Photography provided by Fields of Light

Photography a photo-journalist who specialises

in documenting real life events, usually

avoided by major media outlets.

Conversations can change the worldIt’s a well-worn cliché that conversations can change the world. Not on their own of course, but communications provoke thoughts. Thoughts to actions. Actions that alter our reality, or the reality of those all across the world.

Films Without Borders, created by Sarah Close of Brighton in 2015, was a phone conversation that snowballed. Talking to her friend Jonathon, a photographer volunteering on the island of Leros in Greece helping refugees, conversations turned to the requirements of the refugees. Beyond the basic human requirements of warmth, shelter and food, there was a very real need for entertainment and Jonathon asked for an LED film projector.

His request was based on his experience of witnessing thousands of children, held within detention style camps. The majority of children there are suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, alongside multiple and complex injuries. Some are dealing with the loss or separation of their parents and families, whilst coming to terms with leaving their homes under horrific circumstances.

As Jonathon explained, “It is a frightening and uncomfortable situation for all of them.”

He had built a good relationship with a local café that was happy to open in the evenings and allow children to have a drink and take shelter from the incoming autumnal weather. Therefore the purpose of a projector was to show some familiar cartoons and films from home to provide some respite and temporary relief.

Sarah posted a request on Facebook asking if anyone had an LED projector they could provide, and upon waking the post had gone viral. This lead to Films Without Borders being formed.

Although the group and fundraiser are in their infancy, working partnerships are being formed to send projectors to refugee camps. For example, Films Without Borders are currently working with Heart ETL who are setting up a school in a large refugee camp in Iraq. The original concept of providing a projector for film purposes has been

expanded to include use for educational means.

Sarah agreed to talk more about the project and her background.

Do you have any background in fundraising or charity work from before?

Sarah: Yes, but not on a large scale. I’ve always been interested in helping others. Prior to becoming involved in this I collected items for Rise (local domestic abuse charity) food bank. I have aso donated to charities and helped at charitable events in the past.

Why do Films Without Borders?

Sarah: Our planet is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis ever in history. I believe it is our duty as fellow human beings to reach out and help those less fortunate than use.

Do you think we should be taking more refugees? Has this changed with the recent events in Paris, Beirut etc?Sarah: I have always been interested in politics and actively engage in political debate. The politics surrounding this situation are too complicated to go into here!

Yes, we should be taking in more refugees, not just because international law says we should, but because it is our moral duty. Our government response is wholly unsatisfactory. Thankfully Brighton has ‘City of Sanctuary’ status and our city actively welcomes refugees.

The events of last Friday are sadly fuelling the close the borders debates. We have to remember that there are currently around 60 million refugees on this planet. The actions of a handful of extremists does not reflect the faith and religions of millions of displaced people.

The surge in bombing Syria since last Friday will not defeat Isis. What this will do, and is doing, is creating more and more refugees.

What can art do to combat the effects of war?Sarah: Art helps to portray messages, understanding and reality. Art can be used as tool of education and expression to convey a message to its audience.

Finally, from your point of view, is there anything which people can do from their end in Brighton?

Sarah: In Brighton there are many projects people can become involved:

Brighton Voices in Exile need people to house refugee families and provide items for their food bank. The Hummingbird Project always need extra volunteers to help their projects in Calais (a major fire spread through the camp on Friday - they are currently looking for builders in Brighton to help them make flat pack homes to take over to Calais). Lobby your MP, lobby parliament, donate to causes supporting the crisis, gather items required to be sent to refugee camps, volunteer for help The School Bus Project, put on a fundraiser, help admin a social media page...the list goes on!

You can find links to all of the projects mentioned via the websites below where you can donate money or time to help with this humanitarian crisis:

https://chuffed.org/project/films-without-borders http://www.brightonvoicesinexile.co.uk/ https://chuffed.org/project/thehummingbirdprojectbrighton http://www.schoolbusproject.org/

“Our planet is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis ever in history. I believe it is our duty as fellow human beings to reach out and help those less fortunate than use.”

Sarah Long

Sarah Shaw

Featured in Aesthetica Magazine, selected for

the Lacey Contemporary Gallery prize, Art Gemini

Prize selection, a solo exhibition at Ink_d,

selected for National Open Art Competition and selected to be front cover for the upcoming album

from Daughter. Sarah Shaw has had one incredible 2015. Art in Brighton

speaks to Brighton’s latest artistic starlet about her

latest work and other things.

Death of the Dissidents, Sarah Shaw, 2015

Looking through in preparation for these questions I’ve seen you have had one hell of a year. From October last year you have been featured in Aesthetica Magazine, selected for the Lacey Contemporary Gallery prize, 2015 Art Gemini Prize selection, a solo exhibition at Ink_d, selected for National Open Art Competition and selected to be front cover for the upcoming Daughter album.

What is your personal highlight from this year?

When you put it like that it does sound very exciting! It’s funny because I can just see the hard work that I’ve put into making the work – I haven’t really focused on the fruits of my labour: these are exciting moments but then it’s just back to the studio and the tumultuous journey with a new painting! It’s always been like that, a constant rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows. To be honest my personal highlight this year was receiving a compliment from one of my painting heroes; that meant everything to me. Having said that the ‘Daughter’ album experience

has been ridiculously exciting!

Your work has generally had relatively unfixed themes, especially with your Rorschach paintings but I have recently started to see a drift towards protest and borders in theme, especially with your recent paintings in Ink_d Gallery. What is motivating the shift in your work towards that way?

Interesting you should perceive that. I wouldn’t say that I have unfixed themes. I allow myself to have a relative amount of freedom in the subjects I choose but they all have common threads running through them – especially in the Rorschach paintings which explored ideas around psychology. I have always played with ways in which to pictorially divide the canvas to achieve a certain effect, to attempt to speak of time, or to make a part of a painting function as either a barrier or as an opening – a pictorial device to invite a viewer into a painting or otherwise. These barriers also have the effect of allowing me to explore peripheral ideas about what is behind, above, in between, around the corner.

Recently yes, the paintings have become more political, sadder, and angrier. I think it’s inevitable and healthy that my painting is reflecting to some extent the times I am living in.

Is there anything that you would like to see more of, or anything that you would change in an ideal world?

Where do I start? To put it simply, I’d like to see more common sense, fairness, equality, kindness. Less injustice, cruelty, and killing. That’d be a good start.

Why do you paint?

‘I rhyme to see myself, to set the darkness echoing’, Seamus Heaney. I can’t say it any better.

When did it all start?

I’ve always made work. When I lived in Wales I had a studio in my attic, in Yorkshire I had a freezing studio in my cellar. I was a teenager when I created my first studio in my mum’s spidery cellar. These were all beset with difficulties, I fell backwards out of my attic studio and broke my arm, I painted my studio cellar with whitening lime and burnt

my arms too! (Very daft in retrospect).

I’ve painted since I was a little girl. I used to endlessly copy obscure Van Gogh paintings until I started to try to find out who I was myself as a painter. I don’t remember how it started, it just feels like painting has always been a huge part of who I am. I’m sure it always will be – it’s the way I make sense of being in this world.

And, what is it about the materials that attract you to them?

I love oil paint – something about its beautiful oozy texture, the smell, the colours, the possibilities within its qualities which gets me every time - I make quite unconventional paintings with the most conventional of materials though I have recently been experimenting with painting on different surfaces.

How do you see your role as an artist?

My first response to this question was very simple: to create! Thinking more about what it is to ‘create’

it becomes more beautifully complex: to make visible the invisible, to cast new light onto old shadows, to evoke, to explore, to uplift, to transcend, to provoke, to challenge, to express ideas about what it is to be a human being in this time, with these thoughts and in this flesh, and hopefully to communicate them with other human beings.

Do you think you have something to say, or is it simply to create pieces for people to escape into?

I make work. All kinds of work, at all different times of day, whilst stuff is happening in the world, in my life, in other peoples’ lives - some of this stuff makes it back into the work.

I don’t come to a canvas with big ideas about ‘saying’ something. If I’m angry about something it will make its way into the work, if I’m sad that’ll be there too. If other people get something from it then

that’s a huge bonus but I’m not even making it for them. I make work firstly for myself. It wouldn’t be real if I didn’t.

Sometimes I make a painting and it needs to be with me for a while after its complete for me to really understand what I was painting about. Painting is at its best for me when there is a kind of blankness in some part of the brain – a little bit switches off and I just become an instinctual creature – making work based on a thousand tiny aesthetic decisions made so speedily that they are hardly noticed. This is when painting is at its best, and when you can be surprised by what comes out of your own hands, heart and mind.

Do you have any advice for artists reading this?

Work hard, reflect, then work even harder – try and find your own voice and develop a thick skin – this isn’t an easy journey, but persevere because the view is amazing.

Tiny Protest Painting I, Sarah Shaw. 2015.Black Friday, Sarah Shaw. 2015.

Voting Day, Sarah Shaw. 2015.

The Watcher and the Watched, Sarah Shaw. 2015.

Are we disconnected from Nature? A Preview Of “Kaiku” By Milla Koivisto

Milla Koivisto’s new project entitled ‘Kaiku’ is the start of a project, with the intention of featuring in an exhibition entitled Suomi 100 (Finland 100) celebrat-ing 100 years of Finnish inde-pendence in 2017. The second part of her series of short films, illustrations and other pieces are being predicated by her new book under the same name.

The fictional narrative of the Kaiku book is located on a small island on the Baltic Sea. It follows a Shaman who also acts as the narrator in the book, his protégé Aino and her ‘echo’ Kaiku. The book is divided in to four parts, one for each of the four seasons, and follow these characters in the year that follows. The writing and storyline is beautifully haunting, with the echo striving to create a voice comprised of sounds heard in nature that she stores in jars to create her voice. This stunning evocative imagery is something that instantly attracted me to her book.

In Koivisto’s own words: “The project highlights the intercon-

nection between the natural world and us as humans. The book acts as the ‘skeleton’ for the whole project, with the whole project will consisting of the book and a series of music short films.”

Up until this point Milla has re-ceived no funding for the project and has written and created the book very much off her own back and in between working at a cof-fee shop in the Lanes. This drive to complete and create her piece is one very often told by artists around Brighton, but considering that English is her second lan-guage, the choice of medium is very surprising and exciting. Hav-ing been written for a full year the choice to release the book now is to stop her tinkering with the book as much as a choice of timing.

Koivisto trained in Fine Art at the University of Bournemouth, but now based in Brighton, I found her character and observations of her peers and surrounding extremely humorous and impor-tant in equal measure. Profess-ing to her “love of geeks” she

spoke eloquently on humanity’s increasing distance between us and nature and her undying love of David Attenborough. Over 50% of the world’s population now lives in urbanised areas and her book is her own attempt to instil an awareness and to reclaim this lost connection.

Her book is influenced by the Sámi people, Europe’s only indigenous population who live in Lapland. Here, Shamanism is encouraged, and has become part of Finn heritage and culture, influencing both the North where the Sámi are, and the South where the book is actually based. Although Christianity is the prevalent religion in Finland, Sha-manism is still considered hugely influential and is entrenched in pre-Christian ideals of Finland.

In the book music plays a huge part, and will become integral to her project going forward. Music is played with nature to encourage a feeling of belonging and uses environmental sounds to create a harmony of nature itself. This image excites me and

challenges the western percep-tion that music must be a perfect silence with music over the top, rather than using the crashing sea and surroundings as cymbals as it’s own soundtrack. Koivisto said, “Out in nature nothing is ever still, even in winter. The mu-sic was my way of communicating this movement.”

Koivisto has many ideas for the rest of her project, and is actively searching for collaborators. The book is due to come out in November 2015 with the project evolving from there. As it is the beginning of an idea it is very fluid, and is likely to change, but with plans for several short films including musical performances, it is a project which transcends the traditional “visual art” medium. So, if you are a music producer, film maker, artist, costume designer or animator and interested in collaborating please contact her on milla.anna.inkeri@gmail.com.

Christopher Spring

‘Kaiku went to the kitchen cupboard. Behind the pots and pans her fingers found a key. With great care she opened the door, the action made her shiver with excitement. The heavy door opened slowly. The room bathed in sunlight. The air was hot and stifling, here the windows were always kept closed. Wooden driftwood shelves filled the walls and an almost nervous energy lingered in the air. On the shelves sat an army of glass jars. Kaiku closed the door behind her. The glass jars felt warm, and light reflected from the surface of the glass on to the walls. As she rotated the jar the spots of light on the wall danced. Perhaps because Kaiku could not speak or make a sound of her own she had developed a fascination for all sounds. They seemed to fill an empty void and comfort her. She had heard the sea in her different moods. Kaiku had heard the gentle ripple, which formed when the sea caressed the closest rocks on the shore and penetrated between every small crevice. The rocks further out, which formed small reefs, were in a constant turmoil with the sea. Sometimes the waves around them looked like the splashes of a big fish tearing up its pray underneath the water. At times the surges appeared as an underwater or-gan lifting up small amounts of sharp water spikes. Sometimes the waves appeared as a broad shouldered swimmer gobbling the water as he dove. They all formed a different sound. The sea had offered her a number of voices to collect. When Kaiku could not sleep she would go to the forest and listen to the owls. They would fly very close and she would look at their big round eyes, which gave away nothing. Kaiku had developed an efficient process to store and collect. Her method, which was perfected with time, consisted of sitting still, patiently waiting and listening. Then with one efficient movement she would open the mouth of a pouch and trap the sound in. Then she would bring the sounds to the lighthouse. The various sounds lived with her in harmony, side by side in her library, separated from each other by thin glass walls. She had collected them all, the sound of a fire eating dry wood, morning dew falling onto a leaf, two rocks smashing against each other, a bell someone had left to the mercy of the wind and countless others. Kaiku was intrigued by the minuscule and the massive. From the natu-ral soundscape surrounding her she could evaluate the islands condition. A healthy forest by nature was noisy, constantly communicating with the spectrum of life that lived in it.’

An excerpt from ‘Kaiku’ by Milla Koivisto: Reviews- Sam Hewitt at Dynamite Gallery

- Chris MacDonald at Corridor Gallery

- “Artists’ Corner” in the Laines

- “Never Mind The Baubles” at Ink_d Gallery

Sam Hewitt: A magician with a paintbrushDynamite Gallery

Usually at private views there are conversations about the work, but 60-70% of the conver-sations are about other things. On Thursday night the work was the talk, a true definition of a private view. This comes as no surprise, the more you look Sam Hewitt’s pieces on the wall, and the more you allow his ideas to permeate your consciousness the more messages you see staring back at you.

Upon brief inspection the exhibi-tion is made up of 8 landscapes in the city, capturing move-ment, light and people within the city of Brighton. Hewitt is obsessed with early morning and late evening, that magical time of twilight which he captures through his masterful use of colour and unique painting style. His brushwork is frugal, with the simple brushstrokes construct-ing a transient landscape where the figures and the city are one.

This transiency is most stark in “To Infinity & Beyond” where the main figure of the piece is almost ethereal and haunting, who I wouldn’t consider real if it wasn’t for his shadow.

After about an hour of the pri-vate view Hewitt took the floor to give some insight into his work. Hewitt said: “I often paint over old paintings to give me some-thing to work against. But the real subjects in my paintings are the shadows. I shan’t say much more than: look at the shadows, and decode the titles.”

For me, this was perhaps a bit much, but it also invited the audience to look deeper into the paintings and realised my initial instincts and observations may bear fruit. Thirty minutes after the brief speech I was enjoying a cigarette outside and saw exactly what he was talking about.

Following the shadows, like a surreal bloodhound, and explor-ing the composition of “Ten Past Ten”, I saw the anomaly staring back at me. It was morning and evening simultaneously; truly time travel in its purest form. A capturing of two moments on the same canvas, subtle enough to slip by me for an hour and a half but when the moment came, impossible to un-see. This is the most exciting and exhilarating feeling I’ve had at an exhibition for a good few years and allowed me to enjoy his paintings all over again. And again and again, I saw and re-saw elements and aspects of his pieces I couldn’t see before. As Hewitt remarked himself when I was talking about his work, “A true ying and yang moment between us.”

There are so many layers to his work, from the stunning use of colour to the subtle codes he leaves in his paintings, arming

you with the keys to unlock them, and finally the humour embed-ded in all of them. Henry Gomez, the owner of Dynamite Gallery, has been excited about this since Brighton Art Fair, and finally I can see why. A great scalp for his young gallery.

Christopher Spring

“I love this exhibition. It feels like home,” remarked Barnaby Simpson, one of the four founders of the now well es-tablished Corridor Gallery.

From the outside one could easily question the wisdom of remarking how a collection of sculptures created with varying degrees of surreal-ism could ever be considered homely, but actually I under-stand exactly what he means.

Chris MacDonald is a fasci-nating man with an equally fascinating upbringing. Born in 1938 to the “confusion of war” he is an artist who has explored a many faceted career, working as a labourer, clerk, soldier, teacher, crafts-man and an engineer before turning his attention to his artwork. What followed was

an exploration of technique and crafts that allowed the creation of work that seems organic and sincere in its ori-gin from within the artist.

MacDonald is a great believer in storytelling to accompany his sculptures and insists that anyone who buys a piece hears the story behind its creation before being sold. This might seem over the top to some, but it complements his style of work, incredibly personal musings that the owner should understand before committing to taking his work off his hands. This feeling of home is exacerbated by the slightly beaten old arm-chair present in the gallery for people to sit and meditate in the space to his objects.

Personally, I wish it was

clearer what messages he wants to put across with each piece without having to hear a story. There are, no doubt, fascinating moments and mes-sages he wants to portray, but is lost sometimes in the piece themselves. “Tuba Man” for example has references to mil-itary conquests with the Tuba, juxtaposed with the freshness of the flowers. However, this was a piece of information cobbled together from other’s prompts from conversations with the artist rather than something I decoded from the work itself.

This criticism in itself portrays the whole appeal of MacDon-ald’s work. It is as much the story of the piece as the piece itself and the experience of hearing the story behind the

work that complements the visuality of the piece itself.

Overall, an exhibition I would recommend visiting even just briefly. Being present in the gallery certainly gives a feeling of homely serenity to the viewer, and complements the space well. A welcome oasis from the hectic nature of Brighton.

Chris MacDonald will be pres-ent every Sunday for the run of the exhibition in the space where he will be there to tell his stories of the pieces.

Christopher Spring

Chris MacDonald - Storyteller, Sculptor, ArtistCorridor Gallery

Every Christmas we find our-selves striving to find that little “bargain buy” or that “gift for that perfect person” in large retail shops. But, as discussed widely in documentaries from all over the world, the con-stant buying and bulk-buying of unnecessary items made all over the world is undoubtedly negatively effecting the envi-ronment, the human lives of those making it and the lives of those consuming.

From the outset, Ink_d have successfully tapped into our inquisitive nature with a simple sign:

“Some art for Xmas or some mass produced tat?”

Not necessarily a particularly eloquent statement but certainly one that piqued my interest and got me in the door. Once in, the distinction

and focus was on the artists allowing each artist to have their own section of the gallery. This took the gallery environment slightly out of focus and instead was slightly reminiscent of marketplace.

The weird thing is that really I didn’t mind. It was done with a sensitivity that was loyal to the exhibiting artists. One could start to see patterns in the work that I haven’t seen before, showcasing the wealth of artists and pieces they have on offer. As well as the familiar Ink_d roster of Sarah Shaw, Grande Dame, Andy Doig, Modern Toss, Req and Ryan Callahan it allowed a perfect environment to exhibit some new artists.

Tim Goffe was one new artist whose paintings caught my eye. His pieces have a very Ed Ruscha feel, exploring and ex-

amining urban environments with simply composed urban snapshots. Though the con-tent seems to be very simple, there is something about the painting style that caught me. “Aggregate” is particularly effective, the wooden fence in the foreground, natural form of the tree with the crane in the background spoke to me of humanity’s dominance over the landscape. Though the new works of Tim Fawcett’s paintings and Ben Dawson’s entertaining linocut’s of various cult figures certainly deserve a commendable men-tion.

Protest and a feeling of futility seems to be reflected in this exhibition, a feeling that is starting to take hold in wider society. Carrie Reichardt’s pieces captured the fury of the fracking protestors and a

call to “come riot with me”, Andy Doig’s heart in a cage, Sarah Shaw’s examinations of protests and Grande Dame’s Burning Man textiles - a fes-tival associated with a rejec-tion of capitalism – all point towards a feeling of the time instability and depression.

The sheer power of the artists is of great merit to the gallery and the market environment makes sense. A cynic might say it is to show as much of the stock as possible, I would say with the power of the work, what they have done is allowed the work to speak for itself.

Well done Ink_d: a great Christmas show.

Never Mind The Baubles

Ink_d Gallery

Andy Doig, Safe From Harm. 2015. Tim Goffe, Aggregate. 2015.

Grande Dame, Cosmic Collar Gown. 2015.Carne Griffiths, Tread Carefully. 2015.

Carrie Reichardt, Come Riot With Me. 2015

Artist’s Corner in BrightonGloucester

RoadIn December there are a variety of Pop Ups and temporary exhibitions

settled up in this corner that would be a shame to miss out on. Knowledge Gallery and Art Schism

have joined forces with the White Rabbit Jewellery store, which

when combined with the permanent artistic homes

of Gallery 40, Digs and Brush Brighton makes this

area a real hot spot for Christmas shopping this

year.

Since its permanent residency at 87 Gloucester Road closed in May this year, the creators of Art Schism, an unusual, heavily politicised and street art heavy gallery have been looking for places to commandeer. As part of this year’s new look so called “artists’ corner” at the top of Gloucester Road, Art Schism have taken up residency beneath the White Rabbit jewellery store (conveniently 88 Gloucester Road). Here they have artists such as Petrusco’s Eye, Sinna One and Etienne Le Comte exhibiting their work. They have also managed to pull in some new faces for people to enjoy and explore.

Art Schism Knowledge Gallery

Knowledge, as you may remember, had a home over on North Street until mid-2015 showcasing the works of Diversis Arti-bus (now the founders of Corridor Gallery), some makers from White Rabbit Gallery, as well as their own unique brand of alternative jewellery. Generally you will see this stock appear at markets and festivals throughout the year, and for Christmas they have settled themselves out the back of White Rabbit. This is a great place to pick up some alternative jewellery for that unusual gift.

Ten Of Swords, Hecate.

Petrusco’s Eye, Beautiful Death.

Gallery 40

Over the road from White Rabbit, Gallery 40 is a permanently changing space on the corner (40 Gloucester Road – hence Gallery “40”) that allows artists to recreate the space however they wish every week. I made my way up here to see work from Bah Humbug a show organised by David Apps. It had some brilliant work in, especially from Hizze Fletcher, Saffron Reichenbacker, Mark Wagner and the organiser David Apps who particularly caught my eye with his frames incorporating old toys (see photos). Throughout the month however there is a spectacular line up of artists including Nicolas De Jesus whose atmospheric drawings are certainly a recall back to the beauty of the renaissance era, Jake Spicer – the creator of Brighton Drawing, and general portraiture genius – and Mark Charlton whose work I have reviewed before at the same site.

Over the last few weeks I have become more and more impressed with this space, and I hope it continues its momentum of great work into the new year.

Digs

On the other corner we have 87 Gloucester Road, the old home of Art Schism and the new home of Digs. Digs specialises in decorative art and spectacular pieces that seem to defy the modest space it is based in. A slight leaning towards the gory, the surreal and the macabre, I have a real soft spot for this place and it’s bonkers way of being. So, if you ever fancy seeing or buying something that is beyond the normal, approaching the theatrical, then Digs is a great place to start.

David Apps, Untitled.

David Apps, Untitled. (Detail)

Nic De Jesus, Canto I. 2015.

Brush Brighton

Finally, just up the hill

from this little corner

we have Brush Brighton, possibly the most atypically “Brighton” hairdresser one could hope to imagine. The hairdressing business is supported by Hizze Fletcher (as mentioned previously) who graduated from Central Saint Martins and fills the space with unusual exhibitions throughout the year. The clientele are well used to people walking in and exploring the artwork, and despite its initial awkward feel, is always a great place to see some lesser known artists create magnificent work. The current exhibition of Mandy Webb and Romany Mark Bruce certainly reflects this. Mandy Webb creates spectacular dresses whose current piece is a memorial to those who have suffered and died from HIV/AIDS and Bruce’s paintings are certainly a source of intrigue.

Exhibitions

Ian Butcher Dynamite Gallery3rd December - 3rd January

Dynamite Gallery presents the amazing 3D collage works by Ian Butcher.

Fascinating 3D illusions full of vibrant colours, skilfully cut and layered art paper is adourned with jewels and found objects inspired by shrine making around the world.

Seiko Kato: Natural SelectionCorridor Gallery28th November - 31st December

This December, Corridor Gallery and House of Juba invite you into the magical world of Seiko Kato, a captivating installation of intricate collage work, featuring both two and three-dimensional pieces, including the opportunity to see Seiko working live, giving fascinating insights into her creative process.

Corridor Gallery has collaborated with Seiko Kato to devise a unique installation inspired by the artist’s detailed, hand cut work, transforming the gallery space into a mystical wonderland, evocative of the playful spirit of Seiko’s work.

The artist will be in the space every Saturday creating artwork and answering any questions.

Winter Show 2015Cameron Contemporary Gallery20th November - 27th December

Cameron Contemporary’s 3rd Winter Show is again full of quality and diversity. With prices starting at £25 there is something to tempt every budget in the run up to Christmas. Alongside collectable and award winning artists we will be showing exciting up and coming painters and makers.

Artists include: Faye Anderson, Sarah Bowman, Kate Boxer, Claire Beattie, Lilia Umana Clarke, Donya Coward, Louise Davies, Matthew Draper, Helen Fay, Leila Godden, Victoria Graimes, Kevin Hendley, Sally Holmes, Chris Hawkins, Hetty Haxworth, Kate Jenkins, Mark Johnston, Victoria Kiff, Maria Kuipers, Simon Laurie, Solange Leon, Hannah Ludnow, Luella Martin, Jenny Matthews, Jane McCance, Jo McDonald, Ian McWhinnie, Annie Mendelow, Julie Nelson, Alison Orchard, Harriet Porter, Donald Provan, Jo Riddell, Judith Rowe, Jayne Stokes and Kirsty Wither.

Dada ProjectsNaked Eye Gallery11th December - 24th December

8 artists have been given the same dimensions (1.5m x 2m) to display their work at the Naked Eye Gallery in Brighton. Alex Binnie, Simon Dixon, Chris Kettle, David Levine, Paul Ostrer, Joseph Rossi, Jim Sanders and Sarah Shaw will be showcasing their original and eclectic work.

The exhibition is run by Dadaprojects, a community interest group founded in 2010 that works to promote cultural exchange through the Arts. Dadaprojects aims to give artists the opportunity to collaborate through a multitude of artistic forms. In doing so, artists have the chance to develop their ideas and are given a platform and new stimulus for their work to grow.

Never Mind The BaublesInk_d Gallery21st November - 24th December

The gallery’s Christmas group show features a carefully curated mix of new work by existing artists, as well as several artists new to the gallery roster.

Artist Jake Wood-Evans, known for his ethereal oil paintings, will be releasing a new limited edition print ‘Two Lights Dance in the Night‘ on the opening night of the show. Visitors can also expect new work from: Alex Binnie, Andy Doig, Ben Dickson, Carrie Reichardt, Graham Carter, Grande Dame, Hutch, James Cauty, Matt Smith, Miss Bugs, Modern Toss, REQ, Ryan Callanan, Sarah Shaw and Tim Goffe.

SUSS6: Layers of Contemporary Art Worthing Museum & Art Gallery10th October - 30th January

Join Worthing Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday 10 October to Saturday 30 January 2016 for the SUSS6, Layers of contemporary art exhibition.

They will have paintings and mixed media art work by six Sus-sex based contemporary artists exhibiting for the first time at Worthing Museum.

The six artists that will be exhibiting are Mark Charlton, Sarah Marzaioli, Rhoda K Baker, Sue Barnes, George Antoni and Alan James McLeod, many of whom featured at this year’s Brighton Art Fair.

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