Through the Cracks is a REHUMANISATION project - what do we mean by that?
This is an entreaty for us all to engage with our own humanity, enabling an understanding of where we fit in an interconnected living world and an acknowledgement of the equality and rights of all.
This is what it should mean to be human.
You cannot take someone else's humanity away from them...only your own.
REHUMANISE / riːˈhjuːməˌnaɪz /
~ to restore human qualities to someone or something.
Through The Cracks is proud to be supporting the Amos Trust Emergency Gaza Appeal. The Amos Trust is a small creative human rights organisation committed to challenging injustice, building hope and creating positive change. Working with grassroots projects on the ground, they set out to build local solutions to global issues.
The Emergency Gaza Appeal supports the vital work of Amos Trust partners and colleagues in Gaza and the West Bank. As well as providing food and sanitation through various partners, this appeal supports Al Ahli Arab Hospital in delivering critical medical care in spite of direct attacks on the hospital by the IDF. The hospital has been working with the Near East Council of Churches (NECC) to provide emergency clinics and support mothers and children with therapy.
We need your help to reach our goal of raising £10,000 for the Amos Trust Emergency Gaza Appeal.
CREATIVE
Whatever form these may take, we ALL have strands of creativity running through us - the ability to bring into existence - and we all have something to offer, which can impact the world around us for the better.
Our events and workshops are collaborative, which means that participants will have a level of creative agency over their outcome.
COLLECTIVE
We are all interconnected - humanity is not selective: to care for one is to care for all. Our contributors are made up of volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, faiths and occupations, who are bringing their varied skillsets to the project.
Focusing on collectivism over individualism, everything produced in our workshops will be collated and bound into a book, as a piece of co-created collaborative art. Whether visiting, participating, supporting or contributing, you are all part of the collective.
ACTION
Through The Cracks is dedicated to justice for Palestine. All funds raised from Through The Cracks will be donated to the Amos Trust Emergency Appeal for Gaza.
Art can communicate difficult concepts in an uncomplicated, visceral manner. It can effect change in the world - it does so overtly by evoking an immediate emotive and cognitive response, yet also subliminally, by seeping into culture and consciousness.
CONTRIBUTORS
HANNAH APPLEBY
Born and raised in the countryside around Bath, Hannah channels her passion for social change through the organisation of community events, fundraising and alternative education.
This theme is also woven through her music which speaks of personal growth and the metaphysical.
SUE APPLEBY
Susan Appleby is a local community participant, who describes spending most of her life in logical disciplines, such as mathematics and software engineering, but had her creative horizons expanded when she learnt the art of Sashiko with designer Sky Pennant; the liberation of permission to go outside of the box and explore individual expression.
DAN BURMAN
Dan is a photographer, artist, poet and community builder, based in Bath. As a child, Dan had an obsession with drawing, painting and photography which led him to study fine art at Central St Martins. Dan has been a professional photographer since 2008 and has exhibited his art and photography in Liverpool, London, Brighton, Glastonbury and Bath.
Dan's Jewish identity piqued his interest in Israel and Palestine and in 2004 he partook on a Birthright Israel trip. Dans eyes were opened to Israeli culture, politics and the power of propaganda, which he saw through enough to motivate him to see the Palestinian side of the story. In 2009 Dan spent 10 days touring the West Bank as part of a self motivated photography project. Initially interested in seeing and photographing the controversial separation wall, his project grew into documenting the rich culture of the Palestinian people, whilst living under the shadows of occupation and war.
POLLY CAMPBELL-PRESTON
Following a late onset MA in Curatorial Practice, Polly's practice is informed by an awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. She uses storytelling to build empathic pathways to an understanding of a shared humanity and our place in a living world.
JOE CAVANAGH
Joe has worked as a producer, arranger, composer, pianist and guitarist. After studying composition, he went on to produce albums for various artists including 6 albums for Sirius B. More recently he has been performing worldwide as pianist/band leader on cruise ships.
Joe spent time in Brazil learning about the music, the culture and the language through Brazilian friends -some the god children of Milton Nasciemento -and their experiences in this profoundly musical country.
He is the guitarist with the Desafinados.
JACK COLES
Multidisciplinary designer and illustrator Jack Coles works with a wide variety of clients to solve creative challenges and create stand-out visuals.
NICKS CORBETT
Nicks started exploring yoga and energy medicine when she became sober and later, when told she had lupus. Going on a deep journey of transformation, she learned that feeling brings deep healing, and increasing one's awareness brings great choice. She has studied a number of modalities reflecting her interests and she feel privileged to be able to hold the space for others to transform as well.
GREG CORDEZ
Greg is one of the top jazz double bass players in Bristol and Bath, He was also the bass player in Sirius B. After which he went on to form his own jazz group, which has performed around the UK and at the London Jazz Festival.
He is the bass player for the Desafinados.
He also teaches at the Bimm Institute in Bristol.
MATTHEW DENNIS
Originally from Dartmoor in the South West of England, Matthew's photographic art revolves around themes of belonging, sense of place, ancient traditions, and connection to landscape and each other.
THE DESAFINADOS
“A journey to the sun-drenched sounds of Brazil”
The name 'Desafinado' comes from one of the earliest and best known bossa novas by Antonio Carlos Jobim.
The Desafinados are the newly formed Brazilian group made up of singer/violinist Azhaar Saffar, who made her reputation with popular Brazilian jazz group, Sirius B - she formed the group with Joe Cavanagh during 2000-2010. It made regular appearances at London's Jazz Café and international festivals such as Montreux, Mai Jazz, Brecon, London and Glastonbury. Sometimes things come full circle and all the members of Desafinados have played in Sirius B at one time. Synchronistically together for this event.
FELIX GIBBONS
Felix is ‘quasi Brasilero’ and lived in Sao Paolo for many years and still goes back to his house near a favela there. He has led samba schools in Brazil, France and the UK and continues his vocation teaching everyone the rhythms of Brazil. Always a great showman and also played percussion with Sirius B.
He plays percussion with the Desafinados.
KATE HOLLAND
Kate Holland is a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders, a Homo Faber Master Artisan and a QEST scholar. Her books are in collections at the British Library, Bodleian, Yale and Berkeley Universities as well as many private collections all over the world. She represented bookbinding as part of the Harewood Craft Biennial. She is a regular binder to The Booker Prize and featured in a film on BBC The One Show exploring this. She teaches bookbinding at Bath Spa University and West Dean College. She also runs private courses from her workshop and regularly lectures.
HUMM
Arty Jackson and Carys Lewin are a South West-based contemporary folk duo with stories to tell, minds to change and worlds to re-imagine. Creating music which unites fellow nature-lovers with their inner activist.
Rooted in traditional music, Humm have created a new, eclectic sound with their rich harmonium drones, melodic finger-style guitar and lush ethereal vocals. Humm take listeners on a twisted journey through love and heartbreak, telling folkloric tales of Welsh saints and Greek sinners, Cornish fairy tales and mediaeval legends.
With the natural world at the heart of Humm’s music, soaring melodies and wistful instrumentation bring their earnest lyrics to life, solidifying their place in folk music.
MELISSA HURST
Melissa Hurst is a Bruton-based ceramicist. She works with porcelain to create delicately simple bowls and vessels, whose flowing structure is overwhelmingly natural and organic. She thrives on the challenge of working with this unpredictable medium. Her process is a true collaboration with the clay - guiding its shape into beautiful forms, she places her trust in the porcelain body, allowing it to dictate the movement and then finessing the final piece. Her collection is constantly evolving and she is never happier than when covered in the chaos of the clay.
BENAZIR JATOI
...
MIKE JOSEPH
Mike Joseph is a journalist, broadcaster, and historian of genocide. He is a member of the International Network of Genocide Scholars and formerly Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University School of Journalism. He has researched, lectured, published and broadcast on his own family's Holocaust history in Britain, Switzerland and Germany. His recent work draws on his other family inheritance – perpetration of the Palestinian Nakba of 1948.
Mike investigates how genocides are remembered or denied, and become instrumental in subsequent violent crises. His work on the West’s reception of Armenian history supported the successful campaign for Senedd, the Welsh parliament, to recognise 1915 as a genocide.
DUNYA LAMRHARI
Dunya is a Glastonbury based DJ, musician & sound healer, who loves connecting to her Moroccan roots by fusing together the mystical sounds of the Middle East with big bass. Her dynamic mixes weave transcendental sounds, dark baselines and a fusion of Middle Eastern, North African & South Asian electronic music.
EDUARDO LEMOS MARTIN
Eduardo is a Brazilian-born, Bath-based music journalist, curator, and live music manager.
LUCY LYON
Lucy Lyon is a documentary film maker, photographer and journalist who has spent the past 20 years with a focus on the Arab World and Afghanistan. The majority of her work has been for international humanitarian and cultural organisations, creating stories which focus on the courage of ordinary people living in extraordinarily difficult conditions. Lucy’s work focuses on stories which help us to understand our mutual humanity, and to find a connection with other people.
MANGANARO
Described by former UK slam champion Kathryn O’Driscoll as “a natural born performer, entertaining, engaging, and charming. They traverse the spectrum of emotion through poems on gender, queerness and isolation with ease. Political punk poetry in the softest, warmest hands.”
Manganaro writes around themes of identity, bilingual experience, and everyday nuances (continuing to scorn the seagull that stole my lunch). They won Diva magazine’s lesbian visibility week poetry competition 2024 and recently featured at queer radiance and headlined the first Shortcrust poetry. Manganaro is a local events organiser, involved with nights: Chimes, The Poetry Spa, and Satellite of Love.
ANA MASTERS
Ana has been a Yoga Alliance certified Hatha yoga teacher, since 2022. Her love for yoga took her to India, in 2023, to further explore Ashtanga Vinyasa and its traditional ways. She is an Ashtanga practicioner herself, who is also keen on other aspects of yoga such as pranayama, sound therapy and meditation. Her teaching style is explorative and light, supporting practicing at one's own pace.
DIONNE MCCULLOCH
Dionne McCulloch is an editor of both fiction and narrative non fiction. She mentors writers and works with a programme through Bath Spa University to support writers from the global majority. She also writes, and in 2023 was shortlisted and won special commendation in the 4th estate/Guardian prize. She currently has a novel on submission.
DAVID MOWAT
David Mowat is a trumpet player promoter and community activist who uses music to try and bring people together to feel like a global family. He runs a band called BEJE which is particulatly Internationalist, having worked this last 10 years with Senegalese, South Korean and Palestinian musicians as well as across many countries of Europe.
JOUD NASSAR
Born and raised in Palestine, Joud has a deep love and passion for Palestinan embroidery, activism, singing, music and art. Her lengthy experience of activism and frontline trauma work, has given her deep insights into the importance of self-care. These experiences have taught her how essential it is to care for ourselves so that we can continue to give back to others and support those in need.
MATT OWENS
British born singer-songwriter and musician Matt Owens first came to prominence as a founder member of indie-folk band Noah and the Whale. Releasing four albums, Noah and the Whale achieved huge success in the UK and overseas, selling over one million albums in the UK alone. The band toured the world between 2006 and 2014, playing hundreds of festivals, including Austin City Limits, Fuji Rocks and Lollapalooza, as well as touring with the likes of Arcade Fire, Bahamas, and Feist.
4 albums in to a critically-acclaimed solo-career, Matt's 2024 release "Way Out West" has been hailed as a “Masterpiece” by Uncut & a “Career Zenith” by Classic Rock Mag. Bath’s favourite son and his killer band of All-stars The Delusional Vanity Project have long been establishing a reputation as one of the fiercest live acts in the country and are set to play 30 festivals this year including Glastonbury.
ANNA RYAN
Anna is a local musician and activist. A firm believer in the power of community building, Anna pours herself into projects where creative collaboration is central.
Anna is a graduate of Bath Spa University’s commercial music course and a resident at EMERGE artist studios, where she is developing a creative technology business in sound design’.
AZHAAR SAFFAR
Azhaar studied violin and singing at the RNCM then went on to specialise in jazz and world music, especially the music of Brazil.
She has travelled extensively, performing worldwide in Europe, Brazil, North America and Latin America where she played with Costa Rican bands and taught violin to children in deprived areas and fishing villages.
Azhaar also fronts her world jazz group, Global Wave.
She is the singer/violinist for the Desafinados
JANE SHACKMAN
Jane has worked in the UK and overseas with people who have survived human rights abuses, torture, displacement and exile, always supporting people’s resilience, strengths and coping strategies. As a Jewish person she unequivocally stands alongside Palestinians, in their struggle to achieve freedom, security, justice and peace.
She uses writing, drawing, sewing and other creative outlets in her work, and is delighted to be involved with this talented and creative group of TTC people.
ZAC WARE
Zac is a songwriter, producer and guitarist with The Proclaimers. He will be singing songs of resistance and hope.
"To be human is to love, to create, and to resist"
Mahmoud Darwish
THROUGH THE CRACKS
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