Suspended - linked events, January - February 2018

Suspended - introductory page

• Tuesday 16th January from 6pm until 8pm
  Suspended, In Search of Light - An Artist’s Journey by Arabella Dorman
  Arabella Dorman will talk about the journey that led her from the conflict zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the creation of Suspended today.  Showing images of her paintings and other installations, Arabella will discuss her experiences as an officially accredited war artist in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as her work with refuges in Lesbos, Calais and Dunkirk.  Doors open at 6pm. Drinks reception on arrival, where there will be an opportunity to meet the artist.  Arabella will speak at 7pm , followed by Q&A. Tickets £10 Book via Eventbrite
  Proceeds donated to Starfish Foundation, and NGO working ceaselessly in Lesbos to aid refugees, especially refugee children
  
  
• Thursday 18th – Sunday 21st January: Lumiere London light festival
  Featuring more than 40 international and UK artists working with light to transform London’s iconic streets and landmarks. St James’s Church will host two light pieces on the outside of the building, one of which is poignantly linked Suspended
  
  
• Wednesday 24th January from 6.30pm until 8.30pm
  Kahil Gibran: An Unparalleled Guide for Our Times
   A cultural event celebrating the Lebanese born poet-artist and author of the best-selling book The Prophet. Register for free tickets here
  
  CARAVAN, The Embassy of Lebanon and St James’s Church present a cultural event with a reception focused on Khahil Gibran, the early 20th century Lebanese born poet-artist, and author of the best-selling book The Prophet. This special cultural program includes the UK book release of Paul-Gordon Chandler’s new book titled IN SEARCH OF A PROPHET: A Spiritual Journey with Kahlil Gibran (published by Rowman & Littlefield, September 2017).
  
  The evening will feature special musical performances by The Peace & Prosperity Trust of Khalil Gibran’s poems put to music and a talk by Paul-Gordon Chandler titled Khalil Gibran: An Unparalleled Guide for Our Times, where he will take the listener on a fascinating journey through Gibran's all-embracing spirituality. He will share how the life and writings of Kahlil Gibran, a supreme East-West figure, can be a much-needed guide for our times related to peace, harmony and the building of bridges between the cultures and creeds of the Middle East and West.
  
  The program will be followed by a book-signing and reception, and is under an artwork installation titled Suspended by CARAVAN artist Arabella Dorman that powerfully highlights the current crisis of forced displacement across the world.

• Saturday 27th January from 7pm
  Syria’s Disappeared – Screening of a 50 minute channel 4 documentary with Q&A afterwards with the Producer, Sara Afshar. A documentary about the Syrian regime’s detention centres produced by Afshar films. This documentary tells the hidden story of tens of thousands of men, women and children disappeared by the regime of President Bashar al Assad into a network of clandestine detention centres. The film weaves together the powerful personal stories of three Syrians with evidence gathered from regime documentation smuggled out of Syria. Book via Eventbrite

• Thursday 1st, Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd February at 7.30pm
  Host - The National Youth Theatre presents a new play by Nessah Muthy. Zoe Lafferty directs this sparky and comic urban story exploring cultural identity and difference Returning after a sell-out run at the Yard Theatre in summer 2017, Nessah Muth’s critically acclaimed urgent response to the Brexit vote and the European refugee crisis offers no easy answers.Syrian refugee Rabea finds an unlikely host in fellow 20-year Yasmin in her South London flat. But on the same estate Yasmin’s family face struggles of their own and believe that charity should start at home. Book via the National Theatre here
  

 

• Wednesday 7th February from 6pm: Westminster Refugee Welcome
  Welcoming Syrian Refugees to Westminster 2018
  Westminster City Council and Westminster Refugee Welcome warmly invite you to an evening celebrating the settling of refugees from Syria in the capital and exploring what more Westminster can do to accommodate refugees here
  
  In September 2015, the Prime Minister announced that by May 2020, 20,000 Syrian refugees would be resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). So far, over 9,000 people have been resettled in the UK, half of them children. In London, Hammersmith and Fulham, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and other councils have joined the scheme, welcoming over 400 vulnerable people from Syria. This is a fantastic start. But political and media attention has moved on from the issue, while thousands of refugees remain stranded in camps in Europe. There is much more that individuals and communities in London can do to help. This event will bring together different communities from across Westminster. Westminster City Council will set out plans for settling vulnerable refugee families in the borough and provide information about how community groups and individuals can get involved. We will also hear from community leaders, volunteers and private landlords about their experiences welcoming refugees across London.
  6.30-7.15pm Presentations: Westminster Council, community leaders, landlords         7.15-7.45pm Q&A
  7.45-8.30pm Drinks reception
  Free - please register via Eventbrite
  

 

• Thursday 8th February from 7.30pm until 9pm
  Suspended: An Evening of Words and Music 
  In the presence of the Suspended, an artwork installation in the nave of the church, an inspirational evening of words and music to raise funds for the work of Star Fish Foundation on Lesbos. The evening will feature contributions from musicians and speakers from the Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions. Contributors include: Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir, Basel Saleh, oud, Mohammad Saleh, qanun, Omran Zein, percussion, Edward Crosse, cantor, Malcolm Hicks, organ, Lucy Winkett, soprano and Patrick Craig, counter-tenor.
  Tickets £12-£15 Book through Eventbrite

Click image to view video about Suspended at St James's