The Art of Protest

Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park and home present

The Art of Protest

Radical Folk & The British Tradition of Free Speech

www.homeliveart.com/artofprotest.html

19 April – 28 May, 207

May Day Festival and Procession, Bank Holiday Monday 7 May

Artists; David Aylward & Rediscovered Urban Rituals, Helena Bryant, Richard DeDomenici, Mat Fraser, Michele Griffiths, Platform: Remember Ken Saro-Wiwa, ResonanceFM, Bob & Roberta Smith.

The Art of Protest is an exhibition, a series of participatory live events, workshops, debates and a radio broadcast based around the history and forms of May Day. It brings together a group of politically active artists who examine contemporary forms of artistic and cultural protest.

May Day has for hundreds of years been a day of ritual, revelry and anti-authoritarianism marking the beginning of summer; by getting involved in The Art of Protest the public is encouraged to reflect on contemporary issues of protest and the radical traditions of British Folk, alongside community participants in Wandsworth who are actively involved in artist-led programmes throughout the project. 

The Art of Protest May Day Festival & Procession

Bank Holiday 7 May, 2pm – 6pm

Pump House Gallery & Battersea Park

Artist-led workshops, entertainment, Maypole, Morris Dancers, Food Fayre, Live Music, May Day Procession

Taking place outside Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park the May Day Festival includes FREE artist-led workshops, activities and live entertainment in the Big Top Tent including Morris and Maypole dancing, costume making and 'greening' a giant Jack-in-the-Green sculpture. You can air your views at the Speakers Corner and sample delicious home made cakes and other spring goodies at the food fayre. Then make some music and as much noise as you can in the May Day Procession at 5pm, alongside community participants and a troupe of folk dancers, musicians, artists and clowns.

Richard DeDomenici Exhibition; Normalisation of Deviance

19 April – 28 May, Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park

Internationally known for his infamous street interventions, documentaries and performances, self-styled 'one-man subversive think-tank' DeDomenici's show includes a video retrospective featuring Fame Asylum, which follows his ambitious attempt to create a boy band of asylum seekers as well as recent 3-D works like Political Table Football, in which players of each team are modified to resemble Members of Parliament.

To contribute your ideas to the artist's BetterBanner Project, where he seeks ideas and prototypes for a protest banner fit for the 21st Century, visit the online message board at www.homeliveart.com/artofprotest.html

Other Art of Protest activities include Remember Saro-Wiwa A Living Memorial by Sokari Douglas-Camp which  takes the form of an enormous silver steel Nigerian bus that will be sited outside the gallery and a series of live performances, debates, poetry and music events, for full information please visit the home website; www.homeliveart.com/artofprotest.html

The Art of Protest is produced in collaboration with Pump House Gallery.

Funded by; The Arts Council of England, Awards for All, Sir Walter St John Educational Charity, Lifelong Learning, Family Learning, Wandsworth Council.

For more information contact ; Kirsteen McSwein at Pump House Gallery, 0207 350 0523, kmcswein@wandsworth.gov.uk or Laura Godfrey-Isaacs at home, 07957 565336, laura@homeliveart.com

Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ, 0207 350 0523, pumphouse@wandsworth.gov.uk, www.wandsworth.gov.uk/gallery