Tag Archives: Arabella Dorman

Flight

Flight, An installation by Arabella Dorman, St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, London W1, until 2nd February 2016

Flight an installation artwork by war artist Arabella Dorman. Pictured during the Festival of Lessons and Carols on 20th December 2015. Photo credit: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

Flight
an installation artwork by war artist Arabella Dorman. Pictured during the Festival of Lessons and Carols on 20th December 2015.
Photo credit: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

 

The inspiring war artist Arabella Dorman has created an installation which reflects the humanitarian crisis of forced displacement that affects our world.  It is a sobering thought that more than three thousand, one hundred people have drowned to reach a potentially safer place than their own home.

 

In September Dorman went to the Greek island of Lesvos to work helping the refugees who arrived there in their thousands.  The journey by rubber dinghy from Assos in Turkey to the island is some 10km but it is a rough sea and many capsize with loss of life.  The salvaged dinghy hanging above the nave was designed to carry fifteen people but in fact this one carried sixty-two.  Hanging from it are three life jackets – two adults’ and a child’s – worn by refugees.  More of these life jackets form part of the traditional Nativity scene.

Arabella Dorman in Lesvos, September 2015

Arabella Dorman in Lesvos, September 2015

There is a traditional element in this display because it was customary to hang ships from the ceiling in some churches and the three life jackets reflect the Holy Family and their flight from persecution into Egypt. At this time of family celebration this is a fitting and I hope inspiring reminder that we should be helping our fellow man.

 

The Church’s rector the Rev Lucy Winkett makes the point eloquently “The real story of Christmas is of the child Jesus born in dangerous circumstances and a family fleeing a tyrannical regime.  We are seeing this story played out in front of us today with family after family climbing into boats to escape violence and come to Europe.  It’s therefore especially important for the church to reach out to people of all faiths and none who are experiencing displacement and danger as Christians mark the birth of Christ in similar circumstances”.

Flight an installation artwork by war artist Arabella Dorman. Pictured during the Festival of Lessons and Carols on 20th December 2015. Photo credit: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

Flight
an installation artwork by war artist Arabella Dorman. Pictured during the Festival of Lessons and Carols on 20th December 2015.
Photo credit: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

 

http://www.arabelladorman.com 

 

http://www.sjp.org.uk

Arabella Dorman – Before The Dawn

Arabella Dorman – Before The Dawn, La Galleria Pall Mall, 5B Pall Mall, 30 Royal Opera Arcade, London SW1

Flying the Afghan Flag, Field Study

Flying the Afghan Flag, Field Study

This exhibition is the product of the artist’s trips to Afghanistan over the past five years and as her pictures clearly reveal she lived alongside both the local people and the armed forces. Her images show how lives are affected by conflict, whether troops or the local people – especially the children, of whom those under fourteen make up almost half of the population. She also depicts the landscape that is the background to daily life and conflict.

The Extraction, 2013, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 44 in, 2014

The Extraction, 2013,
Oil on Canvas, 30 x 44 in, 2014

Arabella has been sponsored in this project by the Afghan entrepreneur Mirwais Alizai who became the family breadwinner at an early age. He says of her works Her work gets behind the stories and headlines to capture Afghanistan and the lives of its people that are hidden from Western eyes. Arabella depicts the real country – a place where the darker effects of conflict are balanced by optimism and ambition. In doing so, she powerfully portrays progress and hope and attests to a deep understanding of the Afghan people and locale.

King of the Skies, Watercolour, 20 x 14 in, 2014


King of the Skies,
Watercolour, 20 x 14 in, 2014

There is an Afghan proverb which says – However tall the mountain is, there’s a road to the top of it. Let us sincerely hope given the sacrifices made and endured that it may be travelled and prove a peaceful place for all.

The Ploughers, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 54 in, 2014


The Ploughers,
Oil on Canvas, 36 x 54 in, 2014

There are a series of fundraising events in aid of Afghanaid and Walking With The Wounded with expert guest speakers.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (Series of 9), Oil on Canvas, 30 x 38 in, 2014

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (Series of 9),
Oil on Canvas, 30 x 38 in, 2014

http://www.lagalleria.org

http://www.arabelladorman.com

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