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My initial involvement with Bosnia began in March 1996. I realised having followed the struggles in Bosnia that the basic needs, desires, aspirations and dreams are common to human beings not born of race, ethnicity or religion and I wanted to show my support for these people who have experienced the divisions of a destructive war. In August 1996 a convoy of artists organised by Workers Aid and supported by International actresses Bibi Anderson and Julie Christie left Britain taking much needed educational and cultural aid to Tuzla, the multi-ethnic heart of Bosnia. The group 'Artists for a United Bosnia' travelled throughout Europe picking up momentum and other participating artists, with the aim of producing a week long festival 'Umjetnost Slobode' - 'Freedom Festival'. I was one of the selected artists chosen to represent Britain who travelled to Tuzla to exhibit and to show my support for the spirit of tolerance that survived in Tuzla despite a three year blockade. I ran art workshops for the teenagers of Tuzla and worked on an installation using petitions collected in London calling for a lifting of the arms embargo and a halt to the genocide. This installation was titled 'For Bosnia'. Thousands of signatures were collected in London to protest against the arms embargo enforced upon Bosnia at this time. The petitions were used in this installation which was shown at Dom Mose 'Pijade' (Miner's Hall) in August 1996 and was later moved the International Portrait Gallery in Tuzla to their permanent collection. I felt a need to continue with this concept using a translation of the petition heading for a new installation for the Artists Exchange 1997 which I was invited to take part in by the Artists Union of Tuzla, sponsored by Balkan Arts Link. The translation of the petition heading into Bosnian was used as the body for this installation 'Facilitating Change'. The letters are written on the perspex tiles in a salt/paint solution, a mineral high in the content of the earth of Tuzla. Salt is also significant in the lives of the people of Srebrenica where the shortage of salt caused deficiency in the diets of children and newly born babies. These visits resulted in exhibitions, the forming of close friendships and ultimately, the publishing of an artist's book 'Bosnia 1997;' that is based on my personal experiences in an aim to portray the lives and strength of these people torn apart by war. The book was published in June 1998, translated into Bosnian by Faruk Ibrahimovic and was funded by the Scottish Arts Council and Martin Bell MP. This book is on sale nation wide in art gallery bookshops. This was also a gift for the friends in Tuzla who are a part of my work. My concerns continue to be based around notions explored in Bosnia involving issues of existence and identification. |