Art Beyond Belief » Latest News

Faith Junction interviews now incorporate Humanist and Atheist views

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 09:51:21 +0000

The renowned set of Faith Junction interviews – in which ordinary members of faith groups interview others on day-to-day matters of belief and practice – has now been extended. In addition to the original participants (Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh), we now have members of the Buddhist, Jewish, Jain, Baha’i and Brahma Kumaris, Humanist and Atheist communities taking part. The complete set of interviews will be available at the end of March.

Sir Halley Stewart Trust fund ABB’s Insight programme for a further year

admin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:44:17 +0000

Following a brilliant first year for the programme, the Sir Halley Stewart Trust have agreed to fund the further development of Insight for another year. The programme’s work in prisons will now be extended, and professional training elements will be developed and trialled. More information from David Sparrow david@art-beyond-belief.com

Kaleidoscope Exhibition at Slough Museum

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:39:02 +0000

We currently have an exhibition at Slough Museum of work produced in our Kaleidoscope programme by women who are victims of domestic violence. Work in the programme is based around colour and colour choices; those who took part have taken their own photographs and manipulated images to produce some outstanding works of self-expression through learning to use an artistic vocabulary. The exhibition is open during the Museum’s normal opening hours (Wed-Sat 11am to 4pm). Kaleidoscope is produced with funding from the European Social Fund and the Skills Funding Agency.

Art Beyond Belief originally developed Kaleidoscope as part of our Art Monitor programme in 2008. Since then, Kaleidoscope has taken on a life of its own, and some exceptional work has been produced as a result.
For more information about Kaleidoscope or any of our programmes, please contact Emel Soylu 07956 022197 emel@art-beyond-belief.com

Festival 2010

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:57:39 +0000

The Festival of Dialogue 2010 Conference took place in October at the Iqra School in Slough. During the evening, Maidenhead Interfaith Group launched their new international aid project, providing ongoing support for areas affected by the floods in Pakistan. We also received feedback from local interfaith initiatives around the Thames Valley area, and showcased events happening during Interfaith Week in November. Participants then enjoyed an evening of food and networking. For more information, contact Andrea on 07958 320686 andrea@art-beyond-belief.com

Throughout the year, a toolkit has been available to groups or individuals wanting to explore the influences that society has on faith groups – and also the influences that faith groups have on society.

The Toolkit comprises starting points, exercises and topics for discussion, and includes all the relevant templates needed. Please feel free to download and use! We would love to hear your results, thoughts and feedback – please contact Andrea Sparrow, Art Beyond Belief, 1st floor, Church Street, Slough, SL1 1SZ.

Download the Festival Toolkit

David Sparrow takes Via Dolorosa to Sweden

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:02:12 +0000

David Sparrow reports on his visit to Växjö in Sweden with the Via Dolorosa project …

During the first weekend in June 2010, I was privileged to show Art Beyond Belief’s Via Dolorosa project to the Swedish Church at their Världens fest, a festival of mission, and much, much more. I had no idea the Svenska Kyrkan was so involved in so much of the cares of the world. The event was held in the city of Växjö, in the south of Sweden.The highlight of the weekend was a meal for 1700+ people, and it was here that I sat with Bengt and Birgitta Sibbmark. I had to apologise for my lack of Swedish (coming, as I do from the UK), but this was taken in good part by B+B who spoke excellent English. I learned so much that evening, with gracious answers to every question (and I had many) but with good humour too, so there was never any thought that I had never met them before. Brilliant. All the food for that sumptuous feast came from the area of Växjö, and it was superb. I have visited Sweden before, but to Gothenburg or Stockholm (my first visit was to Gothenburg in 1969). Going inland was a new experience for me. I travelled by train from the airport at Copenhagen, so got to see a lot of the countryside which was a revelation to me. My presentation was of an interfaith look at the Christian Stations of the Cross, which involves artists of eight different faiths, who interpret (or relate to) fifteen different events on Christ’s journey from the Roman Governor’s residence to the place of execution outside the city walls of Jerusalem. This project is in multimedia form, and we have called it the Via Dolorosa, after that street in Jerusalem.The presentation was received well, and there was a lot of interest in using it to develop other initiatives locally, something I would be delighted to get involved in.On my last day, I visited the glass museum in Växjö, which had some fantastic examples of glass based art. But that’s another story …

Via Dolorosa at 2010 Världens Fest (Festival of the World) in Sweden

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:54:45 +0000

On Friday 4th June, David Sparrow will be presenting the Via Dolorosa at the Festival, which takes place from 4th to 6th June in Växjö, the cathedral city of the Church of Sweden Diocese linked with the Anglican Diocese of Oxford. This will be its second outing in Sweden this year, having been shown as part of the Holy Week devotions in Växjö. Download the Festival programme

Festival of Dialogue 2010 launches

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:38:09 +0000

Last year, Art Beyond Belief ran a successful Festival of Dialogue in Slough. This year we are organizing further events across the Thames Valley in conjunction with SEEFF. There will be a number of round table discussions organized across the area, followed by a conference in Slough on 22nd May. For more information call Andrea on 07958 320686 or email andrea@art-beyond-belief.com

ABB events during Interfaith week in Slough

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:29:00 +0000

included screenings of Via Dolorosa through out the day on Tuesday, and Borrow-a-person sessions each day at Slough Central Library or Kingsway. For more information about Interfaith week events in Slough, visit the Slough Faith Partnership website

Looking Glass exhibition at West Wing Arts Centre

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:51:36 +0000

The exhibition of work by adults attending the Therapeutic Day Unit at Wexham Park Hospital, produced as part of our Looking Glass programme, will be at the West Wing Arts Centre in Stoke Road, Slough throughout October. There will be an open event on Thursday 15th October between 3pm and 5pm – all are welcome. The programme is part of ABB’s Art Monitor project, funded by Art Council England, which helps people from a range of different backgrounds address issues of self-confidence and self-determination through computer-based art.

For more information, please call Emel Soylu on 07956 022197 emel@art-beyond-belief.com.

Exhibition of work at Slough Museum – reflecting on mental health

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:59:08 +0000

An exhibition of work by adults attending the Therapeutic Day Unit at Wexham Park Hospital, produced as part of our Looking Glass programme, will be at Slough Museum from 8th July and for the rest of the month, and can be seen during normal museum opening hours. The official launch will take place on Monday 13th July between 3pm and 8pm – all are welcome. The programme is part of ABB’s Art Monitor project, funded by Art Council England, which helps people from a range of different backgrounds address issues of self-confidence and self-determination through computer-based art.

For more information, please call Emel Soylu on 07956 022197 emel@art-beyond-belief.com.