Exhibition shares impactive artwork from isolated communities in areas of conflict

The Arts and Humanities Research Council funded the Creating Safer Space exhibition which is a collaboration between academics at Leeds Beckett, communities who protect themselves from violence, and nonviolent civilian accompaniers. The exhibition has already visited areas across the world including the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Nairobi, Bangkok, Colombia, and Rio De Janeiro.

It features artwork, poetry, film, and photography from communities in areas of armed conflict including Colombia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, and South Sudan, where civilians are harnessing the power of nonviolence to create safer spaces and work towards alternative presents and futures.

The displays show how communities support themselves and how they deal with conflict, such as sharing early warning systems using whistles and symbols that show others where to flee to safety. They also show how communities avoid conflict; through negotiations and not paying ransoms, not wearing school uniforms, and helping girls empower themselves so they don’t have to depend on anyone minimising their risk of sexual exploitation.

Professor Rachel Julian is co-investigator in Creating Safer Space and Professor of Peace Studies in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett University.

Speaking about the exhibition, she said: "The purpose of this exhibition and our research is to make sure we can learn about the capacity of communities in urgent situations. Across the world, when people face threats and disaster, the communities support one another. They are not passively waiting to be rescued - the stories in this exhibition show skilled people determined to help their neighbours.

"An exhibition like this is vital because it’s a way of sharing information across different contexts. The people who live in the communities that are featured in the exhibition can often feel isolated, but through Creating Safer Space they can see they’re not the only ones experiencing harm. It also allows us to amplify their voices so they can be heard by the policy makers and can harness their support."

The exhibition opens at the Rose Bowl in Leeds Beckett’s City Campus on Monday 4 November and runs till Friday 8 November. There is a public talk about the project at 4pm on Tuesday 5 November at the Rose Bowl, including the person who led the research in Cameroon.