Create Syria exhibition by International Alert showcases creative freedom for artists in exile

Date
2 August 2016
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Mohamad Khayata: Stitching My Syria Back
Courtesy: British Council

Peacebuilding NGO International Alert has announced a multimedia arts exhibition exploring how the creative industries can support and respond to the ongoing conflict and crisis in Syria.

The exhibition will showcase a variety of work across film, animation, painting, theatre, puppetry and music detailing the lives and stories of artists and cultural figures in the Syrian diaspora.

Each of these featured artists is notable also for running workshops encouraging displaced Syrian children and young people to engage with the arts in an effort to foster self-expression and collaboration in the refugee camps and communities of the temporary settlements across Lebanon.

“Art presents the good and beautiful things in life, and encourages people to do the opposite of violence…It’s a coping mechanism, a way of dealing with the toxic context and the politics which is so complicated,” says Syrian animator Karim.

Charlotte Onslow, who co-ordinates the larger Create Syria project at International Alert, says: “We hope Create Syria will showcase the vibrant artistic scene alive among Syrian artists living in exile and highlight how creativity and expression is opening up space for wonder and calm in a time of crisis and the opportunity to imagine a future without violence.”

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Talking Peace Festival: 30 Years of Alert

International Alert’s latest exhibition forms part of the Talking Peace Festival, which takes place concurrently for two weeks from World Peace Day (21 September) in and around House of Vans, London.

A programme of documentary, features and short films will be screened, alongside the #Art4Peace event which will see murals painted in cities around the world, starting in the east to end in Bogota in the west. The pop-up Conflict Café will return for its third year, exploring the cuisine of Lebanon and Sri Lanka. While, #peacehack, a 36-hour “hackathon” event hopes to bring together and encourage designers, developers and technologists to create and realise solutions for conflict management and peace building.

A retrospective celebrating 30 years of International Alert, will round out the events: showcasing photography, video and artefacts telling the stories of those who have struggled through and faced conflict and genocide in the likes of Rwanda, the Caucasus, the Middle East and more, and the work the organisation has done to build peace and community there.

Create Syria opens at House of Vans in London and runs from 22 September – 2 October, Talking Peace Festival opens 21 September.

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Talking Peace Festival: #peacehack

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Talking Peace Festival: #Art4Peace

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About the Author

Jamie Green

Jamie joined It’s Nice That back in May 2016 as an editorial assistant. And, after a seven-year sojourn away planning advertising campaigns for the likes of The LEGO Group and Converse, he came back to look after New Business & Partnerships here at It’s Nice That. Get in touch with him to discuss new business opportunities, and how we can work together on creative partnerships, insights, experiences or advertising.

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