AHRC image gallery marks Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2018
To mark Anti-Slavery Day (18 October 2018) the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is publishing an online gallery featuring images from Imagining Freedom, the world’s first archive of murals focused on modern slavery and human trafficking.
Imagining Freedom was launched in 2018 as part of the AHRC-funded project, Antislavery Usable Past which is embedding the lessons of past antislavery movements into the contemporary movement to end global slavery, including the role of imagery in past and present antislavery campaigns.
The Antislavery Usable Past project is led by led by Kevin Bales, Research Director of the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, the world’s largest cohort of modern slavery academics, and includes Zoe Trodd, Director of the Rights Lab.
Charlotte James, a PhD student Research Associate with the Rights Lab, and co-creator of the collection with Professor Trodd, said, ‘There are currently approximately 130 murals on the website. The collection shows the emergence of the modern slavery mural movement from the early 2000s to today, and depicts modern slavery in general, alongside more specific types, including forced sexual exploitation and forced labour.’
Professor Zoe Trodd said: “What we see in this fantastic collection is the power of murals and street art to bring together local communities, raise awareness, provide a jumping-off point for community education, and offer art therapy opportunities.
“As our global antislavery community works towards a slavery-free world by 2030, artists have a key role to play in helping to build slavery-free communities and cities, and I would like to see an antislavery mural in every town and city!”
The project is part of the Rights Lab’s mission to help meet the global political commitment to end slavery by 2030.
Further to the gallery, a new publication from the AHRC, Slavery past and present (PDF, 677KB), looks at the impact that arts and humanities researchers are having in the shaping of our understanding of historic and modern slavery.
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Because I Am A Girl about Because I Am A GirlBecause I Am A Girl (Blue) In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. Artist: Zina. Country: United Kingdom. Rights: Image courtesy of Rob Wilson Jnr from Inspiring City. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/224
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Duality of Humanity about Duality of HumanityDuality of Humanity - This piece was part of a series of murals created by Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant). It shows a Cambodian child holding a machine gun over his shoulder, with a flower in his hair highlighting his youth and innocence. Artist: Shepard Fairey. Country: USA. Rights: Image courtesy of The Polis Blog. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/223
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#Bring Back Our Girls about #Bring Back Our Girls#Bring Back Our Girls - The piece supports the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which raised awareness of the kidnap of 276 Chibok girls in Nigeria on 14th April 2014. Many of these girls were sexual exploited and forced into marriage. This mural shows the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai, who campaigns for girls to have access to education and supports the campaign and called for the Nigerian government to do more to save these girls. As of 2018, of the kidnapped 57 girls managed to escape, 107 were released, and 112 are still missing. The campaign is demanding that the Nigerian government rescue the remaining girls and reunite them with their families. Artist: Zimmer. Country: USA. Rights: Image courtesy of Urban75. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/208.
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Sex Trafficking Awareness about Sex Trafficking AwarenessSex Trafficking Awareness - This mural was completed by Joel Artista alongside students from the University of Dayton's Art Street Centre for the Sex Trafficking Awareness Project. This campaign aims to raise awareness of forced prostitution and the sexual exploitation of women and girls in the USA. In this image expressions of sex trafficking are combined with an image of the Roman goddess Proserpina. In the mural, she struggles to break free from her captor, the god of the underworld, and her mother, whose hand reaches out for her. Artist: Joel Artista. Country: USA. Rights: Image courtesy of Joel Artista. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/207.
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Together We Can End Human Trafficking about Together We Can End Human TraffickingTogether We Can End Human Trafficking - This awareness of modern slavery in West Bengal and hopes to educate people on human trafficking and enlist their help to end slavery. It was inspired by a photograph that was taken by Brooke Shaden when she worked with Kolata Sanved, an organisation that helps survivors of trafficking with dance therapy. Shaden partnered with the women and the girls to create a series of photographic self-portraits in which they each chose a pose that they felt represented their stories. Sangeeta portrayed herself having her ankle gripped by a menacing hand, while she reached toward another hand for support. Artist: Joel Artista with Aninyda, Saptarshi, Santanu and Binod. Country: Siliguri, India. Rights: Mural created with local artists in Siliguri. Lead Artist: Joel Artista. Partners: Artolution, Meridian International Center, Shakti Vahini and the US Consulate in Kolkata. Image credit Artolution. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/119.
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Slave Labour about Slave LabourSlave Labour - This Bansky piece was placed on the side of a Poundland store in Wood Green, London in May 2012. It was created by the artist in protest against the use of sweatshops to create Diamond Jubilee and London Olympics memorabilia in 2012. It features a child crouching on the ground, sewing together bunting with the Union Jack. It has become an iconic image of child labour and child slavery. Artist: Banksy. Country: United Kingdom. Rights Image courtesy of DeptfordJon. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/131.
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Child Labour Free Street Art about Child Labour Free Street ArtChild Labour Free Street Art - This mural was completed as part of the Shoreditch Art Wall and supported the launch of the UK branch of the organisation, Child Labour Free. It was revealed on the World Day Against Child Labour on 12th June 2016 alongside the sale of limited edition t-shirts with the designs of the mural. The proceeds of this went to the development of the Child Labour Free child care centre, which helps children in red light districts in Kolkata, India. Artist: Victoria Villasana and Zabou. Country: United Kingdom. Rights: Image courtesy of Maureen Barlin and Shoreditch Street Art Tours. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/91.
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Release about ReleaseRelease - This mural is part of the ‘Handle with Care Project’, a Dallas-based organisation that is dedicated to fighting slavery through the arts. 'Release' is the central piece in a city-wide mural project 'Deface a Wall Not a Body'. The birds that are released in this mural are then painted all around Dallas. The birds symbolise survivors being released from captivity and rebuilding their lives over time. Artist: James Bullough. Country: USA. Rights: Image courtesy of James Bullough. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/93.
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Bring Back Our Girls about Bring Back Our GirlsThis is another mural supports the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which is fighting to save the 276 Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram on 14th April 2014. Artist: Unknown Artist. Country: United Kingdom. Rights: Image courtesy of Tim Green. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/106.
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Indiria about IndiriaIndiria - This mural tells the story of a seven-year-old girl who is enslaved and works in a granite quarry near Katmandu, Nepal, the granite is sent to Britain to provide stone tiles for patios. Indira and the other children working at the quarry are forced to perform dangerous jobs with little or no safety gear. If they refuse, their employer withholds food from their family. Artist: Lmnopi. Country: USA. Rights: Image courtesy of Lmnopi. Find out more by visiting http://rightsandjustice.nottingham.ac.uk/items/show/90.
