commonground a5 5 - archive.ivaa-online.orgarchive.ivaa-online.org/files/uploads/texts/katalog...

with diversity

from series Port of

Call,2002.

Digital inkjet print

on ragpaper.60.9 x 83.8 cm

reintegrationassistance from

series Port ofC

all,2002.



Anthony

Lam

PortofC

all,2002

dispersal system

from series Port of

Call,2002.



Islam in the UK, as a themeand subject for exploration is inseparable from thebroader canvas of identityand citizenship politics in a culturally diverse andcontemporary Britain. I initially became interested in the issue of asylum andimmigration through aprofessional involvement in photographic workshops(2002) with a group of youngpeople (from Eritrea, Kosovo,Macedonia, Serbia, Somaliaand Uganda) who wereresident in London andseeking asylum.

Port of Call 2002,interrogates the terminology,bureaucratic language andinference (defining the issueof asylum and nationality) as contained in the BritishGovernment’s White Paper‘Secure Borders, Safe Haven:Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain’.

In utilising these texts within new ‘pictorial’representations of England,the intention is to subvert the classical imagining andimaging of the country and in so doing, tease out theaccompanying romanticizednotions of a green, pleasantand genteel land. Ideals that seem redundant and at odds with present reality.These visual texts updateand critically reflect thesocial landscape of a 21stcentury England.

This photographic inquiryinto the psychology

and politics of borders,identity and culture, asylumand migration seemsespecially appropriate in this current period ofinternational debate anddiscourse concerningglobalisation, the Westversus the rest (of the World) and the massmovement of peoples across continents to newcountries of ‘safe haven’.

Anthony Lam describes himself as a photographic artistwho is primarily concerned withinterrogating, exploring andexpanding his own relationshipwith and to the photographicimage. His practice involvesproducing representations thataddress issues of identity andculture from a personal and socio-political viewpoint.On completion of a Diploma inPhotojournalism at the Londonof College of Printing (LCP) in1989, Lam began to workprimarily within the commercialeditorial sector (UK and HongKong) and held posts teachingphotography in London.In 2000, he obtained his MA in Photography from LCP.His diverse practice has includedworking with major Londongalleries (Barbican, Hayward,The Photographers’ Gallery,The Whitechapel) and other UK organisations such asAutograph - The Association of Black Photographers,The National Trust andBrighton’s Royal Pavilion onphotographically informedprojects and exhibitions.Between 1990 and 1996,Lam initiated and workedextensively in the east end ofLondon on a number of publicphotography projects withdifferent communities includingthe British Bangladeshi (Muslim)youth populace.

In recent years, Lam hascontinued to work incollaboration with a variety of organisations, amongst whomhave been a number aimed atyoung asylum seekers anddesigned to help them to exploreand express their feelings andexperiences of life in the UK.Work by Anthony has recentlybeen included in Changing Faces(London July 2003) exhibition,which documents Asian youth culture from 1970’s to the present day.

Biographyw

ait for decision from

series Port ofC

all,2002.



further representation from

series Port ofC

all,2002.



Moham

med K

haliland H

enna Al

Raschid.Form

byB

each,Liverpool,

2002.

Durst L

amda print on

Duraclear.

118.9 x 84 cm

Fatimah K

elleher,B

rixton,London

2002.

Durst L

amda print on

Duraclear.

118.9 x 84 cm

Am

yandtanveer

PortraitsInstallation view

of

Am

yandtanveerPortraits.

London 2003.

We chose to focus onrepresenting prominentBritish Muslim musicians orthose involved in the UKmusic scene. Our approachto this project was unique inthe way that we felt it wasimportant to represent theBritish Muslim perspectivewithout focusing on aparticular ethnic group or traditional Muslim setting.Music has energy, universalappeal and the ability tobreak down barriers. We wanted to show aperspective that is focused on eachindividual’s commitment and contribution to music.

Each of the people we have photographed have a very different and highlypersonal attitude to therelationship between theirfaith and music. We havephotographed both men andwomen from backgrounds as diverse as Morocco,Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan,America, Caribbean, Sudanand Nigeria. All are linked by the same faith and homein the UK but lead verydifferent lives in the world ofmusic. The continuity of thephotographic style unifiesthe group of individualswhilst the transparency of the display helps us to remember how lives,careers and faiths areinterwoven and are never led in total isolation.

We interviewed each of oursubjects several times over anumber of months to find out

about them and their work. For their photographs, we asked them to choose a location that they felt wasimportant to their life. For some this is a place fromtheir history, for others aplace where they go to think.Whilst photographing themwe asked each person tocontribute words anddrawings to an ongoing bookabout the project. Whenpresenting our photographs we know that we wanted toinclude the whole story ofthis piece of work and themanner of presentation we have finally decided onreflects this journey. It is important to us that the installation allows manyperspectives to be seensimultaneously – sometimesthrough the substance of another image.

We hope that together thephotographs, the music, their illustrations and thewords give an insight into this fascinating group of characters; charactersinvolved in the ongoingdevelopment of Britain’svaried and exciting culturaland musical scenes – we think these pictures alsoexpress a unique perspectiveon British Muslim identity.

Amyandtanveer are a Londonbased photography and designteam, otherwise known as AmyRobins and Tanveer Ahmed.Amy studied Fine ArtPhotography at WimbledonSchool of Art before beginningwork in 1995 as a filmmaker,animator and graphic designer atPeter Gabriel’s Real WorldStudios. She then continued as amulti-media designer at a numberof design companies in Londonbefore beginning work asAmyandtanveer. Tanveer Ahmedgraduated from Glasgow Schoolof Art in 1995 and worked infashion; as a stylist for musicvideos: in trend prediction and as a fabric designer for textileagencies before joining forceswith Amy just over five years ago.Combining experience and skillsallows them to develop adistinctive joint approach tocreating images. Experimentingwith a wide range of digital andtraditional equipment,techniques and unorthodoximage-making processes,Amyandtanveer attempt to revealoften hidden dimensions of theirsubjects. Playing with colour andcomposition, they are able toexplore the personalities of theirsubjects who predominantlycome from the world of musicthat ranges from contemporaryclassical to hip hop and dance.Their work has appeared in a hostof well-known music and stylemagazines including The Wire,The Sunday Times, DJ,

Straight No Chaser and featuredas album design work and onrecord covers. They haveexhibited in the group show000ZEROZEROZERO at theWhitechapel Gallery, London(1999) and the Station Gallery,Frankfurt (2000). Their first soloexhibition at the Scala Cinema inLondon’s Kings Cross included a20x 6ft billboard poster and six 4ftlight boxes displaying new dance,hip-hop and club influencedAmyandtanveer images.

BiographyA

kram K

han,outside the L

abanC

entre,London

2002.

Durst L

amda print on

Duraclear.

118.9 x 84 cm

Aref

Durvesh,

Slough 2002.D

urst Lam

da print onD

uraclear.118.9 x 84 cm

Stefania Marchetti,

London 2002.

C-type print m

ountedonto alum

inium.

83.8 x 66 cm

Aysa A

li,B

edfordshire 2002.C

-type print mounted

onto aluminium

.83.8 x 66 cm

Sam

P

iyasena

ArR

umPortraits &C

onvertsto Islam

Nick H

iggins,L

ondon 2003.C

-type print mounted

onto aluminium

.66 x 83.8 cm

Surah ArRum

‘And among his signs Is the creation of the Heavens And the earth and thevariations In your languagesAnd your colours’ Al – Quran, Surah 30:22

ArRum, Britain’s first club for Muslim professionals ismore than just an Islamicmembers’ club inClerkenwell, London it isa place for religiouscontemplation, a cultural andbusiness centre, a restaurantand juice bar and mostessentially a venue forMuslims and non-Muslims to meet socially. Founded in 1997 by Reedah Nijabat, the club was set up inresponse to young Muslimprofessionals who wanted asocial, cultural and religiouscentre that fitted in with thevalues and beliefs ofsomeone living in the UK.ArRum also represents theembodiment of its founder’sbelief in holistic living, love of contemporary art & cultureand her strong stance onethical business practices.

Reedah Nijabit was born and brought up in WalthamForest, North London. She read law at LondonUniversity and qualified as abarrister before working as a Management Consultant.Determined to found her ownbusiness, which embracedmany of her own beliefs andvalues, she opened ArRum.

British converts to Islam

‘Were we to choose acommon religion for theentire world, it woulddefinitely be Islam’George Bernard Shaw

Many Muslims feel it moreappropriate to use the term‘revert’, as opposed to,‘convert’ to Islam. Muslimsbelieve that we are all bornpure and that embracingIslam, one returns to theoriginal and sinless state inwhich Allah created. GeorgeSale, one of the first Englishtranslators of the Koran,proclaimed that no goodChristian ‘can apprehend any danger from so manifesta forgery’. More recently the events of September11th heightened this deep-rooted mistrust andanimosity felt by many non-Muslims towards Islam.Ordinary Muslims werevilified for the actions of extremists. Since thebombing of the Twin Towers,there have been around 300reported incidents ofassaults on Muslims inBritain. The popular presshas not helped things byexacerbating Islamophobiaand engendering an ‘us andthem’ situation. Despitethese difficulties, most of theconverts I have approachedwere keen to be involved inthis project. They have cometo Islam after a long period ofresearch and contemplation.As a result of converting,

some have lost friends and antagonised theirfamilies. For some, theseadverse experiences havegiven them the impetus totake part in this project.

Sam Piyasena is a graduate ofCentral St Martins College ofArt and Design and has been avisiting lecturer at bothBuckinghamshire and MiddlesexUniversities. As a freelancephotographer Sam has receivedregular commissions from leadingstyle and fashion magazines suchas The Face, Dazed andConfused and I-D as well asnational newspapers such as The Guardian, The SundayTimes, The Telegraph and The Independent. Images of amuch more personal nature takenfrom a work in progress wereincluded in the group exhibition,000ZEROZEROZERO held at the Whitechapel Gallery,London (1999) and the StationGallery, Frankfurt (2000). TheCurry House Project, shot in a witty documentary style,explores the unique relationshipbetween Britain and its curryhouses. Numbering somewherein excess of 8000 and comprisinga multi million pound industry as part of Britains’ Nationalcuisine, Sam contextualises hisphotographs against the realitiesof the curry house workingconditions of long hours, low payand strenuous labour for young,often Asian male immigrants.

BiographyA

rRum

(diptych),L

ondon,2002/3.C

anvas prints.E

ach panel 127 x 81.3 cm

A view

ofE

astL

ondon Mosque

looking towards

the City.

Black and w

hite print.33 x 49 cm

A young m

an praysalone at the Shadw

ellT

enants Association.

Black and w

hite print.26.5 x 39.5 cm

Shadwell G

ardens,E

ast London.

Black and w


Rehan

Jamil

Allahu A

kbar (A

llah is the G

reatest)

The focus for my images is to explore the typology of religious buildings used by British Muslims, from purpose built mosquessuch as the East LondonMosque in Whitechapel toformer cinemas and councilflats which have beenconverted for use as placesof worship. My series ofimages looks at the buildingswithin their urban context to examine how the spacesfunction for the localcommunities each of whomuse a very differentarchitectural space in whichto congregate and worship.

As a child I watched the East London Mosque beingbuilt from across the road at my fathers factory, never knowing that as anadult I would produce aphotographic documentaryof the mosque and itssurrounding area.

Like many photojournalistsproducing documentaryimages in black and white, I too use only natural lightand fixed focal length lenses.I felt that only black andwhite film could represent my religion, my mosque and my community with the simplicity and purity that only black and white film can create.

Rehan Jamil lives in East London and began hisphotographic career at the age of 17 by taking photographs forthe local newspaper, The EastEnd Enterprise. He has sincecontinued as a freelancephotographer producingdocumentary images relating to Asian lives in Britain.As the recipient of a Leaders for London Millennium Award,he produced work for the book,Common Ground: Portraits of Tower Hamlets (1998),which documented the physicallandscapes and thrivingmulticultural community within the London borough of Tower Hamlets.His work has been exhibitedwithin the group show000ZEROZEROZERO at the Whitechapel Gallery,London (1999) and the StationGallery, Frankfurt (2000).Apart from providing editorialimages as a contractphotographer for a number of large urban regenerationprogrammes, Rehan is currentlyworking on a long-term projectrelated to the Muslim communityin Tower Hamlets and their livesaround the East London Mosque.The Mosque’s impendingexpansion will qualify the mosqueas being the biggest in Europe.Work by Rehan has recently beenincluded in Changing Faces(London July 2003) exhibition,which documents Asian youthculture from 1970's to thepresent day.

BiographyR

ayhan Uddin,

Project Developm

entw

orker at Rihlah,

an anti-drugs supportprogram

me.

Black and w


Shoe racks,East

London M

osque.B

lack and white print.

26.5 x 39.5 cm

Untitled

from series

Shopna 2002

C-type print m

ountedon alum

inium.

125 x 125 cm

Untitled

from series

Shopna 2002

C-type print m

ountedon alum

inium.

125 x 125 cm

Suki

Dhand

a

Shopna2002

Untitled

from series

Shopna 2002

C-type print m

ountedon alum

inium.

125 x 125 cm

My interest in this projectwas to document theordinary lives of BritishMuslim teenage girls,focussing both on their socialand home environments. One of my aims was to challenge traditional and stereotypical submissivenotions of British Muslimgirls perpetuated in themedia. My objective was toprovide a deeper insight tothe motivation rather thanthe outward appearance ofthe subjects. For example,many Muslim girls perceivethe hijab as a symbol ofidentity and empowermentrather than a sign ofoppression and subjugation.

It is important to recognisethat modern British Muslimgirls have similar referencepoints and interests to anyother British teenagers andare keen to expand theirhorizons beyond traditionalsocial constrictions. Thisdoes not in any wayundermine their devotion and loyalty to Islamicreligious and cultural values.

When I first met Shopna I was immediately struck byher attitude of self-relianceand independence whilst maintaining a very approachable and warm persona.

Shopna defies allstereotypical perceptions ofthe hijab by integrating it intoher everyday clothing, shewears the hijab as a mark ofcultural respect and

from a personal sense ofidentity. The hijab, forShopna, clearly represents a symbol of protectionagainst those who seek toundermine her femininity.

I feel a strong connectionbetween Shopna’s Islamiclife and my own parallelexperiences as a young Sikh girl. What strikes meparticularly, however, is the freedom she has in expressing herindividuality, this fills me with optimism for the newfound sense of identity in the Asian youth of today.

A British Asian femalephotographer, Suki Dhandabegan her photographic careerafter receiving a Prince’s Trustloan and gaining a HigherNational Diploma inPhotography at PlymouthCollege of Art and Design.A regular contributor topublications such as TheObserver, Suki specialises inportraits of people in theirenvironments, citing emotion,realism and identity as keyelements of her work. She hasproduced a number of socialdocumentary photo stories basedaround issues of gender andculture within Asian communitiesliving in Britain and the USA.Her images of young BritishAsian females emerging fromtheir own communities inLondon’s East End into thebroader British landscape wereincluded in the group exhibition000ZEROZEROZERO at theWhitechapel Gallery, London(1999) and the Station Gallery,Frankfurt (2000). She is currentlyseeking a publisher for anextraordinary series ofphotographs focusing on thecommunity of Sikh taxi driversliving in New York, USA.Work by Suki has recently beenincluded in Changing Faces(London July 2003) exhibition,which documents Asian youth culture from 1970’s to the present day

BiographyU

ntitledfrom

series Shopna 2002

C-type print m

ountedon alum

inium.

125 x 125 cm

Untitled

from series

Shopna 2002

C-type print m

ountedon alum

inium.

125 x 125 cm

Mariam

Ghaddah,

7 years,N

ovember 2002.

From series

Hijabi Sisters.

Black and w


Misba Shafiq,

15 years,O

ctober 2002.From

series H

ijabi Sisters.

Black and w


Clem

entC

oo

per

Hijabi

Sisters

Ayah B

asil Hatahet,

9 years,N

ovember 2002.

From series

Hijabi Sisters.

Black and w


Clement Cooper has said of his work in interview

“The way I approach aphotograph is so simple. I don’t invent things. I don’t try to manipulate the subject matter. It’s all in front of me. ”

His working practice is essentially concerned with developing feelings of trust between himself and his subjects.

“I go in first without a cameraand start talking to people,drinking with them, eatingwith them, getting to knowthem, telling them what I’m doing. Then I take mywork in and finally bring the camera, take a picture of them and give them backtheir pictures to get theminvolved. I let them lookthrough the camera, let themtake their own pictures.”

In his portraits, it is important for his subjects to look straight into thecamera lens “Because you’reacknowledging that they are there, when you comeacross a photograph of a person looking at you, a very simple picture, it’s a very powerfulstatement. They’re sayingsomething very personal to you and that message is very different for whoeverlooks at that picture”

“I’m not really trying todocument social conditionsbut to explore the humanity

of my subjects, to try tounderstand them as people.”

Using very basic equipment,a simple camera and tripod, without the use ofelaborate lenses and fill inflash, Clement Cooper’s use of light and darkness is a fundamental aspect of his style

“The use of light for me is a very emotional subject –very personal, because itreveals everything.”

As is his preference for blackand white film because of its“simplicity” and the fact thatfor him,

“Black and white captureslife so well. Better than anyother medium. It’s so directand it just gets the way thatI’m feeling at this point in my life”

Cooper judges the successof his images in relation tothree elements, the subjectmatter, light and composition

“The person’s got to havesomething about them quite marked that I havefound interesting. Secondly,the way the light revealsthem is important. That’s all the light does: it revealsthe truth.

Thirdly the picture has to be balanced, certain things in the background have to beright. Usually with me there’sno one in the background,just me and the person”

In his most recent body ofwork, Hijabi Sisters, ClementCooper has chosen tophotograph all of hissubjects wearing the hijab. In doing so and amongstother things, he has subtlydrawn the viewer to reflect on the ethnic diversity andcultural richness which goesto make up Britain’s Muslimcommunities as reflectedthrough the myriad styles of head-dress.

Clement Cooper, born and raised in Manchester’spredominantly Black and Asiancommunities of Moss Side andLongsight, first began takingphotographs at the age of 17.Self taught, Clement worked as a photographer and reporter for a number of local newspapers,before receiving his firstcommission in 1987 from theDocumentary PhotographyArchive in Manchester to recordaspects of life within the MossSide and Longsight Afro-Caribbean community.The commission resulted in hisfirst book and exhibition,Presence (1989). Furthercommissions, travel bursaries and grants followed and resultedin two more solo exhibitions andpublications. Deep: People ofMixed Race(1994) explores thediversity of experience of mixedrace people in Liverpool, Cardiff,Manchester and Bristol andPrimary (1999) is an exhibition of large-format black and whiteportraits of primary schoolchildren in Birmingham,Manchester and Preston. Goingbeyond conventional childportraiture, his subjects challengeassumptions about what it feelslike to grow up against thebackdrop of prevailing socialdefinitions and ambiguities of class and race. In 2003,Clement received an Arts CouncilEngland grant to extend the work he began with Hijabi Sisters(2002) into a solo exhibition andpublication, Sisters.

BiographyH

enna Jamil,9 years,

Novem

ber 2002.From

series H

ijabi Sisters.

Black and w


Aisha Saleem

,11 years,O

ctober 2002.From

series H

ijabi Sisters.

Black and w


Plant Culture,

East L

ondon,2002.D

igital inkjet print onPearl inkjet paper.38.5 x 58.8 cm

Graffiti E

xpression,E

ast London,2002.

Digital inkjet print on

Pearl inkjet paper.38.5 x 58.8 cm

Union Jack,

London,2002.

Digital inkjet print on

Pearl inkjet paper.58.8 x 38.5 cm

Jagtar

Sem

play

Scratching theSurface

I began this project by asking myself the question‘What is Common Ground?’Keeping an open mind I observed the broadspectrum of lifestyles and the expectations ofBritish Muslims of a widerange of age groups and living in differentgeographical locations.

Yorkshire in the North ofEngland provides aninteresting contrast toLondon, so to some extentthe North / South divideevolved into the mainframework for the project. I began to explore theenvironmental differencesthat constitute the differentsocial landscapes.

Bradford in the North ofEngland, where I grew up, has undergone tremendouschange over the years. Old schools, cinemas,chemist’s shops etc havebeen replaced by fast foodrestaurants, supermarkets,DIY warehouses and hugeelectrical goods outlets. The ever familiar McDonaldsand other global brands have gradually appeared and made their presence felt. Bradford as a town isnow very different to the way I remember it. TodayAmerican and Euro-centricculture appear to influenceand shape the social andeconomic aspirations ofyouth, whilst the oldergenerations seem to cling to traditional modes of dressand lifestyles. Bradford,

once a traditional English market town and the heart ofthe textiles industry providedmany jobs to British Asians in its heyday. Now almost allthe mills have closed downexcept for the odd one or twoand unemployment is high.

The East End of London is an area that has becomesynonymous with multiplenationalities and culturesmoving into its environmentand surviving economicallythrough various trades. BrickLane and its surroundings arealso somewhere that are nowvery different from when Ifirst began photographingthem in 1987 with the launchof the Docklands’ LightRailway. The Canary Wharfdevelopment provided muchspeculation at that time forthe future of the East Endboth in terms of economicsand culture. There existed a complex mix of differentideologies, religions, culturesand lifestyles that have notalways been harmonious.The friction, which wasgenerated, was one of theelements of the evolutionthat has shaped the East End into its present form.

This project is by no means definitive, it’s mypersonal response to theenvironmental and socialspace I share with others. It attempts to look at theeveryday but not always themost obvious elements of it. I have attempted to scratchat the surface to exposeprojected veneers of reality

revealed below layers ofexistence as painted bydifferent cultures. It has notbeen my intention to offendanyone with my photographsbut to record my impressionof a time and a place.

Jagtar Semplay became involvedwith photography at an early agepursuing his youthful interest tostudy eventually for an MA in theHistory and Culture ofPhotography at the LondonCollege of Printing. He hasworked as a freelancephotojournalist for nationalnewspapers and magazines suchas The Telegraph, The SundayTimes and The Observer and as alecturer for various photographicprojects and workshops on both a practical and an academic basis.Jagtar’s keen sense of “thecommunity” has informed muchof his work. Early projects haveseen him using his experience of the Asian Community inBradford to depict thecomplexities between traditionand modernity within a complexand sometimes introvertedsociety. Later documentaryphotographs have focused onnotions of the community withina multiracial society. He hasexhibited his photographs as partof the 000ZEROZEROZEROexhibition at the WhitechapelGallery, London (1999) and theStation Gallery, Frankfurt (2000)as well as featuring at ArlesPhotography Festival, France.Work by Jagtar has recently beenincluded in Changing Faces(London July 2003) exhibition,which documents Asian youth culture from 1970’s to the present day.

BiographyYa Ya and D

og,B

radford,2003.D


Rap A

rtist,L

eeds,2002.D


Em

pty weaving shed,

Manningham

Mills,

Bradford.

Black and w

hite print.31 x 47.5 cm

Former seam

anC

houdhry Qasim

Ali

tells his story,M

anchester.

Black and w


Tim

Sm

ith

Labour

Exchange

With unem

ployment

a large problem in

many E

nglish citiestension betw

eencom

munities has

risen,Great H

ortonarea,B

radford.

Black and w

hite print.47.5 x 31 cm

The focus of my photographshas been on Muslimcommunities originally fromthe Asian subcontinent whonow live in northern areas of England.

Small numbers of men from India, Pakistan andBangladesh settled in Britainduring the first few decadesof the 1900s. Much largernumbers arrived during andjust after the Second WorldWar, when Britain used thelinks established during thedays of the British Empire to satisfy a huge demand for labour.

These economic migrantscame to work and improvethe standard of living of themselves and theirfamilies back home.Although these all-malepioneers initially felt theirstay was a temporary one,most eventually sent for their wives and children.The transients becamesettlers, and laid thefoundations for the biggestMuslim communities living inBritain today.

These photographs examinehow the nature ofemployment has changeddramatically over the pastsixty years for these settlers, their children and their grandchildren.

After studying photographyunder David Hurn at GwentCollege in Newport,Wales, Tim Smith has worked as a freelance photographer with regular commissions fromnewspapers such as TheObserver, The Guardian, TheTimes and The Independent.Whilst maintaining hiscommercial contacts, Tim hasalso actively involved himselfin a number of community basedprojects centred around hishometown in the North ofEngland. In 1986, he set up andran the photographic departmentof the Bradford HeritageRecording Unit (BHRU), part of Bradford Art Galleries andMuseums. Through a range ofexhibitions, publications and CD-ROMs, the unit makes use of photography and oral historyto reflect the experiences of thecity’s communities. Exhibitionsand publications produced byTim and BHRU have includedHere to Stay: Bradford’s SouthAsian Communities; Home fromHome: British Pakistanis inMirpur; Keeping The Faith:The Polish Community inBritain, and Ukraine’s ForbiddenHistory. Further examples ofTim’s work may be viewed atwww.timsmithphotos.com.

BiographyU

nemployed young

men of

Pakistaniorigin at a footballtournam

ent,Oldham

.

Black and w


Wedding L

imousine,

Halifax.

Black and w


Studio portait ofunknow

n sitters.C

ontemporary black

and white print

from original glass

plate negative.22 x

18.5 cm


n family

group.

Contem

porary black and w

hite print from

original glassplate negative.22 x

18.5 cm

The

Belle Vue

Stud

io

Portraits


n sitters.C

ontemporary black

and white print

from original glass

plate negative.18.5 x 22 cm

These photographs weretaken at the Belle VueStudio in Bradford, hometo large communitiesfrom India, Pakistan andBangladesh. In the 1950sand 1960s men came towork in the city’s textileindustry and in publictransport. Many settled in Manningham where the studio was located,and thousands of pictureswere taken there to send the migrants’message home to theIndian subcontinent– that of success.

Customers eventuallycame from all overnorthern England. It was the studio to visitbecause the oldfashioned photographer,Tony Walker, shared anapproach familiar to themfrom the studios backhome. Stiff and formalposes and seriousexpressions were whathis new subjects wanted.Suits and ties were wornas signs of success, andwere kept in the studio forthose without their own.

Some demonstrated well-paid employment byholding money. Watcheswere worn low for show.Cameras and radiosrested on the studio table.

Cigarettes andsunglasses wereflourished as signs ofsophistication, and booksrepresented education.Briefcases and rows ofpens lining top pocketswere symbols ofprestigious clericalemployment, althoughvirtually all the men wouldhave had manual jobs.The photographer alsoused his retouching skillsto increase his sales. By working on thenegatives he was able to produce pictures withpale skin tones, valued in the sub-continent and very popular with his sitters.

In the early days of the all-male Asian communitysuch portraits wererestricted to groups ofbrothers, cousins anduncles. As this societydeveloped into one thatincluded wives andchildren they too began to appear, solemnlyclutching handbags andbabies, books and toys.The family portraitexpressed the valueattached to family unity,missing relatives could be included by bringingtheir existing picture into the studio.

The Belle Vue Studioopened in 1926, andclosed in 1975 when the photographer retired.For nearly a decade thenegatives lay in a dampcellar, and manythousands were dumped.When the premises weresold it was only as TonyWalker was carrying themout to be thrown awaythat the new owner had alook at them, and forbadehim to destroy any more.The remaining 15,000glass plate negativeshave now been restoredby the Bradford Heritage Recording Unit, a resource from whichthese pictures have been drawn.


n sitter w

earing busconductor’s uniform

.

Contem

porary black and w

hite print from

original glassplate negative.22 x

18.5 cm


n sitters.C

ontemporary black

and white print

from original glass

plate negative.22 x

18.5 cm

Muslims in Britain: A Brief SurveyThe historical connectionbetween Islam and Britain did not begin with massimmigration from the Indiansubcontinent in the fifties,yet this has become theestablished story amongmany indigenous Britons,and most British Muslimstoo. Both sides have lostsight of the long view. Fromthe European Renaissanceonwards, Islam has been anintegral, vivid part of Europeand Britain. Kipling’sirreconcilable East and West is, and always was, an absurdity. For better orworse, Islamic and Europeancivilisations would not havedeveloped without eachother. The crescent-shapedbread roll, the croissant,eaten every day for breakfastin Europe, is a symbol of theCrusades. Painted blue tilesand geometric design, coffeehouses, the beauteousdomes in Florence andVenice–and the BrightonPavilion–factories, moderntechnology, the film industryin Muslim countries andcountless other ideas haveflowered and travelledbetween Christians andMuslims. <1> The writerNabil Mater noted in his bookon Islam in Britain 1558-1685:‘Muslims and their Arab-Islamic legacy were part ofthe religious, commercial and military self definition of England’ <2> Theseexchanges- trade, artistic,scientific, political- havecarried on in spite of wars,mutual demonisation andideological confrontations.

And so the paradoxcontinues today in literature,films, and other culturalproducts. In Hollywood films,for example, Muslims oftenare ‘reel bad Arabs,lecherous sheikhs,personality free maidens,bomb-blowing terrorists’<3>and yet there is a romanceabout desert nomads oncamels, and curvy bellydancers. Arab food; Sufimusic, poetry and thought;and Arabic calligraphy aremuch loved in the West. Butas interest in Islam grows, so Islamaphobia is also onthe increase. Muslims too are not exempt from thisparadox: Muslims frequentlyconsider white Christiansociety as depraved,godless, sex-mad andalcoholic, yet cannot resistWestern freedoms andlifestyles. To the chagrin ofIslamic purists, there is nogoing back to the days of the Prophet Mohammed.History moves on inexorably.London, milkshakes,Beckham, James Bond, MTV, liposuction, the Royals,the Victoria & Albert Museumand other Western productsand institutions are nowlodged in the modern Muslim psyche and cannotbe excised.

A Brief HistoryThe complex history of thiscontact stretches back overa millennium. There has beenmuch conflict, starting withthe wars of conquest byMuslims in the IberianPeninsula in the 7th century,through the Crusades whichbegan in the 11th century, therise of the Ottoman Empire(1600 -1918) and the variousstruggles for and againstcolonial domination after theFirst World War. But throughthe wars and clashes,immense mutual respect wasalso evident, as was deeplove between individuals.

Arguably, we may not havehad the Indian Raj if Mughalemperors had not taken tothe traders of the East IndiaCompany who arrived in India in 1608. One of the first arrivals, Captain WilliamHawkins, rapidly became a trusted confidante ofEmperor Jehangir.Subsequent traders broughtthe emperor harpsichordsand raunchy pictures ofVenus and Cupid. Jehangirgave them licence to trade,which soon led to armedcontrol and then a take-overby the British government. An enormous painted panelin the House of Commonsshows British merchantsmingling with Mughal highsociety, paving the way for colonial domination.

In art galleries acrossEurope, celebrated 19thcentury orientalist <4>painters depict Muslims asruthless barbarians- manyholding bloody swords orfainting white women. But in the same spaces, you cansee other pictures payinghomage to Muslim men and women, their lands,aesthetics, markets anddeserts. Cairo, Amman,Marrakesh and Beirutbecame magnets for many

artists of the modernmovement, who appreciatedthe different perspectivesthat these ancient Muslimcities provided: Paul Klee, for example, whose picturesof Tunisia evoke its magicalmood and atmosphere; and Matisse, who found inMorocco the perfectsynthesis of colour, light and form that informed someof his most daring pictures.

Colonialism was organisedaround racial and culturalhierarchies, but even withinthis paradigm, monotheismremained a strong bondbetween Christians andMuslims. In the 18th century,mixed race relationshipsbetween British Empirebuilders and aristocraticMuslim women were muchapproved of. A painting ofThe Palmer Family byFrancesco Renaldi (1786)shows Major William Palmerwith his begum Bibi faizBaksh, their two children, and two other Muslim womenwith whom he lived. GeneralJames Achilles Kirkpatrick,British Ambassador to theCourt of Hyderabad, fell inlove with a fifteen-year oldMuslim Princess, Khair un-Nisa, converted to Islam andmarried her <5>. Islamic artand design also inspired LordLeighton, one of Britain’smost celebrated Victorianartists who becamePresident of the RoyalAcademy in 1878,incorporated many featuresof Islamic design from tiles tofurniture into his house inHolland Park, London, now amuseum open to the public.

The 19th century was lessengaged with “the other” as equal, yet Queen Victoriaherself had Muslim servantslooking after her children; her favourite, Abdul Kareem,was given palatial suites, had his portraits painted, andgot so close to the queen,quite shocking the nation.

As trade and travelaccelerated between Britainand Muslim countries,Yemenis and Bangladeshilascars settled in Yorkshire,Liverpool and Cardiff and theEast End of London. Muslimsailors, soldiers and workershelped keep the great empiregoing receiving littlerecognition and low wages.The first mosques in Britainwere set up in Woking andLiverpool at the end of the19th century.<6>

The two world wars broughteven greater Muslimcontributions to GreatBritain. How many peopletoday remember the manyMuslims from Britishcolonies who fought on the side of the Allies?

Post War MigrationThe size of the Muslimpopulation increasedsignificantly in the l950s and l960s with Pakistaniworkers recruited by Britishfactories, mostly for the steeland textile mills located inthe North of England. The warhad taken a terrible toll andthere was a serious shortageof manpower. Tim Smith’spictures in this exhibitiontrace those early times and capture the difficulties,and joys, too, of the earlymigrants. Studiophotographs sent back homewere a must- they reassuredanxious relatives and gaveimmigrants a moment toshow off and pretend all waswell. But things were not asthey appeared and as therapid de-industrialisation of the North began during the seventies, traditionalforms of employmentcollapsed, leaving manyimmigrants and their childrenlocked in disadvantage.

The violent birth ofBangladesh (1971) brought a new wave of Muslimimmigrants followed by thearrival of Muslims from EastAfrica who, with otherAsians, were forced out by black African leaders.Black African Muslims fledcountries in chaos and ArabMuslims entered Britain asrefugees from oppressiveregimes or as part of thewealthy international elite.Iranian Britons have similarprofiles. In recent decadesSomali, Bosnian, Kosovan,Afghan and other Muslimshave added to the diversityand mix of British Islamic life.

The Central London Mosquein Regents Park can have up to a hundred differentnationalities, dozens oflanguages, black, brown andwhite, from Afghanistan toArgentina, praying togetheron Friday, all different, yet all equal before Allah.This diversity and sense ofinclusion is one of the centralmotifs of this show.

Facts and figuresThere are approximately 1.8M (as quoted on Todayprogramme 7 July 2003),1500 mosques and 100Muslim schools in Britaintoday. They share the samefundamental faith but are asdiverse as the world itself.Language, culture, class,different histories,geographical, racial andethnic variations make itabsurd to talk about ‘theMuslim community’ as if it ismonolithic and in any waypolitically uniform. RehanJamil’s pictures of places of worship illustrate thisextraordinary variety,highlighting the manner inwhich secular buildings (flats in tower blocks,schools, a Portakabin, disco)and even an ex-synagoguehave been appropriated and converted to suit thevarying needs of differentMuslim communities.

Research shows thatPakistani and BangladeshiMuslims of both genders areamong the least qualified,least upwardly mobile, most impoverished of ‘ethnic minority’ Britons. Incomparison, Chinese, Indianand African Asian Britons aredoing significantly better andsome have surpassed whiteBritons in achievements<7>. Researcher, Dr. TariqModood, Professor ofSociology at the University ofBristol, is concerned that ‘theconfluence of the continuingsevere disadvantage ofPakistanis and Bangladeshisand the rise of an anti-Muslim prejudice, marks one of the biggest challengesto racial egalitarians inBritain today.’ <8>

80% of Muslims live inhouseholds where theincome is below the nationalaverage compared to 25 % of non -Muslim households.Bradford, with its largePakistani Muslim population,is now seen as the drugcapital of Britain. The numberof Muslims in prison hasgone up from a few hundreda decade ago to fivethousand today.

Discrimination, SeparatismThe current race relationslaws of the UK offerprotection to Jews and Sikhsbecause they are defined as ‘ethnic’ groups with oneobvious ‘homeland’. Muslimshave been calling for betterlegal protection againstdiscrimination but withoutsuccess thus far.Campaigners, among themthe now influential MuslimCouncil of Britain, argue thatreligious discrimination is, in effect, legally allowed bythe British State.

This has repercussions. A young Muslim maninterviewed for anindependent report spoke for many when he said: ‘As Muslims we are beingforced by the system to makea choice- either assimilate,compromise ourselves, orseparatism whereby wecreate our own institutions.’<9>

Young MuslimsThere are other seriousinternal problems, too, whichare afflicting the variouscommunities. In some towns,young Muslim men – oftenwith poor education andopportunities- are turning to lives of lawlessness – drugs, pimping and otheranti-social activities. SomeMuslim communities arecompletely dislocated fromnational life and politiciansare now turning theirattention to these relativelynew problems.

Extremist views can appealto young people livingimpoverished lives with littlehope and much undirectedfury. As one governmentreport found ‘Alienation ismost acute where there isboth social and economicdeprivation.’<10>Too many young Muslims are emotionally homeless.Racism makes them believethey cannot belong in Britainand their communitiesexpect them to think ofthemselves as people fromelsewhere. Hard -line mullahsfrom Pakistan and Arabstates entice these youngpeople into embracing amilitant Islam, whichbewilders their own families.Hanif Kureshi in, My Son theFanatic, accurately reflectsthis confusion of identitiesand the loss and guilt felt byparents that their children are both more Muslim andmore British than them, yetmore dislocated.

But there are positivedevelopments too.Newspapers, voluntaryorganisations, and cultural

institutions reflect anemerging British Islam, which is vibrant andconfident. These youngBritish Muslims are firmlyrooted in this country, whichthey challenge, change,portray and sometimesupset. Britain, in turn,inculcates them with values,expectations andpossibilities. But the essence remains attached tosomething old andinvaluable. You see thisamalgam in Suki Dhanda’sintimate pictures of a youngBritish Bangladeshi girl whocan embrace responsibility to her family and faith at thesame time as enjoying manyof the pleasures of a normalWestern adolescence.

Islam remains the fastestgrowing religion in Britainand there has been no majoremigration of British Muslimsout to any of the Muslimcountries. There are alsoincreasing numbers ofconverts to Islam–mostlymiddle class individuals, the majority of them women.They are not ‘ some kind ofliberal Islam-lite’ says oneconvert, Joe Ahmed Dobson,son of a British MP, butrather, proud orthodoxMuslims. But for all theprotestations, occupying thisplace cannot be comfortable,especially as all Muslims areoften expected to explainthemselves and theirallegiances. Sam Piyasenacaptures a rigid vigilance in some converts, as if theymust give a proper accountof themselves, always.

Shared Values in a Multi-ethnic Country True equality is not having toapologise for your colour orfamily and identity but astable nation must have core,common values, otherwise itis only a collection of villageswhere people battle againsteach other for resources andrecognition but feel noattachments to anyoneoutside their own enclosures.Questions are now arisingabout the limits of diversityand the values that bindpeople together. Forexample: laws protect Britishchildren against corporalpunishment in schools.Should Muslim madrasas inBritain be exempt from this?If they are, Muslim childrenare getting less protection than Christian children inSunday Schools.

The place of religion in thestate is being questionedwith renewed vigour. Arestate-funded religiousschools divisive, even thoughmost have high academicstandards? Why anestablished Church ofEngland when churchattendance is going downand other faiths are therebyrelegated to a second classstatus? Should secularvalues always takeprecedence over religiousvalues in the modern world?

Current issues and dilemmas.In Britain today publicopinion is divided on thequestion of asylum seekers,a high proportion of whomare Muslims. Anthony Lam’spictures give us a poignantsense of what it means to bean unwanted migrant in aworld with both no bordersand insurmountable borders.The desolation of modernexile is captured beautifully,and the fifties suddenlyappear remarkably open.

This adds to thedisillusionment of BritishMuslims who see the humanrights of Muslims violated by western governments, by bad governance in Muslimnations, by the powerful inChechnya, India, Palestineand other places.

September the 11th has only deepened the sense ofalienation. The attacks werefelt to be an abomination,and initially the Britishgovernment and media werecareful not to blame Islamand all Muslims for theterrorism. There was nosurge in animosity towardsBritish Muslims, althoughtensions have sinceincreased and some BritishMuslims are expressingresentment at the intrusive,illegal and unfair treatmentthey claim they receive. Theyhave become more engagedinternationally, connectedwith the Ummah through the Internet. However,completely unexpectedly, the war against Iraq brought Muslims closer to theirBritish compatriots who came out against the conflict. For the first time,Muslims and non-Muslimsmarched together in protest with a strong political message.

<1> For thedefinitive work on this readProfessor FredHalliday, Islamand the Myth ofConfrontation, IB Tauris, 1995

<2> From anexcerpt in TheGuardian, 15thJanuary 2000

<5> See The WhiteMughals, WilliamDalrymple,Harpercollins,2003

<3> jackShaheen, ReelBad Arabs: HowHollywood Vilifiesa People, Arris,2003, p 112

<6> A fullaccount of theAsian presence inBritain can befound in Ayahs,Lascars andPrinces, RozinaVisram, Pluto,1990

<4> See RanaKabbani, ImperialFictions, Pandora,1986 and EdwardSaid, Orientalism,London 1978

<7> EthnicMinorities inBritain, Dr TariqModood, PolicyStudies Institute1997

<8> In chapter 4,Race Relations in Britain, [ed]Tessa Blackstoneet al, Routledge,1998, p70

<9> The ParekhReport, Profile,2000, p 239

<10> CommunityCohesion, TedCantle, HomeOffice, 2002, p59

The Making of the BritishMuslim SensibilityIn 1988, a massivecontroversy over SalmanRushdie’s novel, The SatanicVerses, forced BritishMuslims to stir from fatalismand trepidation and to layclaim to the land they hadlived in for so long. Muslimsfrom different communitiessuddenly came together toquestion absolute freedomof expression and theexisting blasphemy lawswhich (still) only protectChristians. There wereMuslims, too, who supportedRushdie’s right to publish thebook and that was also partof the awakening.

Muslim hotheads burntcopies of the novel, an imagethat horrified the Westernworld, especially liberals,who had deep memories of Nazi book burning. Then came the death fatwa,issued by Ayatollah Khomeni,and Muslims began to beseen as barbarians. Anti-Muslim prejudice led to the radicalisation of manyyoung Muslims who publiclyembraced the faith they had previously neglected or passively accepted – the lines of conflict werethereby drawn.

We also saw a new dawn. Out of the inferno came the beginnings of a BritishMuslim intellectual tradition,now well underway. Rana Kabbani, ZiauddinSardar, Meryl Wyn Davies, Professor Tariq Modood all write challengingly about Islamaphobia, the assumptions of liberalismand Muslim fanaticism. Many young Muslims have started a journey of discovery into anauthentic, more meaningfulIslam. They turn to the faith as it was, read the texts, debate ideas, use their influence, rejectmany of the culturalsediments accumulated over the centuries.

Today British Muslims haveentered the media, politics,academia and the arts andthe flowering continues,although prejudice still putsup barriers. Among figuresinfluencing national life arethe businessman LordAhmed, the social reformerLord Bhatia, Sir Gulam Noon,the billionaire Indian foodmanufacturer, Iqbal Sacranie,Secretary General of theMuslim Council of Britain, Dr Mohammed Taranisi, a world famous IVFspecialist. Other high flierswith Muslim backgroundsinclude:- Shazia Mirza,comedienne, top journalistZeinab Badawi, actorNaseeruddin Shah whostarred in ‘MonsoonWedding’, and the admirednovelist Abdulrazak Gurnah.

Women and IslamThe post- war migrationsinitially were mostly male.Women came later. Some ofthese men took up with whitepartners and then facedidentity crises- like the heroin the controversial film East is East (1999). Harshimmigration laws after 1968

meant that many familiesrushed to join the men.Expectations were, and stillare, that the women wouldkeep alive the traditions,cultures, and faith. But in themost conservative families,dynamics change, culturesbecome porous and thepressures on women andgirls are immense. Childrenlead separate lives within andoutside the home and thereare inevitable conflicts.

Values such asindependence, individualityand choice inevitably entertheir consciousness andalthough some familiesaccommodate and evenencourage these changes,others find it intolerable.Mothers who have had moreproscribed lives react in twoways; they either want theirdaughters to be moreindependent or, terrified ofrepercussions from theirfamilies and communities,impose tight restrictions.

There are Muslim families in Britain who take theirdaughters out of schoolwhen they reach fourteen,although the legal school-leaving age is 16. Forcedmarriages are still a problem,which some consider to begrowing rather thandeclining. Female suicide andrunaway rates among thesefamilies aredisproportionately high. A recent case of a youngMuslim girl murdered by heruncle in her home during herwedding – all because herfather agreed she shouldmarry a Muslim of her choice– shows how great thesetensions are between the old and new values and what tragedies they bring.Not much attention or care isgiven to these wasted lives.

As mentioned earlier,research shows Bangladeshiand Pakistani women havelower educationalattainments and lowereconomic activity than otherBritish Asian women and thatpart of the explanation forthis is located in cultural and religious belief systemswhich locate women in thedomestic sphere.

There is a success story, too, of Muslim women forgingahead but there are manymore obstacles in theirpaths. For ambitious andeducated Muslims women,Islamaphobia has become a“concrete ceiling” and theyare fighting against this.Middle class Muslim women– still a minority in Britain –are able to exert power, and access all that is goodabout their faith and cultureswithout being imprisoned by either. We now see Muslimwomen at Oxbridge andother universities and anumber of writers, activists,lawyers, doctors, painters,politicians, city brokers andjournalists- unthinkablefifteen years ago.

These women often leadchange. Baroness Pola Uddinis in the House of Lords,Zahida Manzoor is the LegalOmbudswoman, NajmaAkhtar has become an

international success with her ghazals and fusionjazz music, and Faz Hakimadvises Tony Blair on race relations.

The hijab is proving to beanother fascinating issue.Younger Muslims are takingon the hijab and burkha.Others reject these garmentsand there is considerablecoercion, which createsfurther tensions. Thesymbolism of the veil has a long history in both theWestern and Easternimaginations. Cultural critic,Reina Lewis describes theambiguity of the garment’sstatus. “Standing as abeacon of tradition or anemblem of progressivemodernity, the veiled orunveiled, de-veiled or re-veiled, woman has been a feature of divergentstruggles overdecolonisation, nationalism,revolution, Westernisationand anti-Westernisation.’<11> Clement Cooper’sserene and radiantphotographs of girls in hijab provide a sophisticatedcommentary on theheterogeneity of the veil,conveying both the personalstyle and individuality which young girls bringto the display of thiscontroversial garment.

Art and CultureThere is among most BritishMuslims nostalgia for theglory days of Islam when, so the story goes, Muslimswere less ground down,disappointed and confused.For some, the quest forspiritual satisfaction restswith excavating the beauty of that past. Ali Omar Ermes, a Libyan British artist paintsenormous picturesremembering, and replicatingthe great Muslimcalligraphers. Tony Blair has one of his imposingpaintings. It is art for God’ssake, devotional tributeswhich so stirred the greatChristian artists in previousages, before the time whenart turned individualistic attimes narcissistic. Otherartists use the past totransform the present. Najma Akthar the singer,Saleem Arif another brilliantpainter whose work isabstract yet Koranic, newdesigners of ShalwarKhameez, all do this to great effect. The King FahadMosque in Edinburgh – a striking, simple geometricbuilding of Scottish stone isa perfect symbol of this newMuslim culture withdiscontent generatingcreativity as modernityconfronts memory.

Popular culture, too, isunsettled and invigorated by these movements. Amy Robins and TanveerAhmed have put together a multimedia three-dimensional interactivemontage, which proclaimsthat Islam is hip, and animportant part of ourcontemporary life. We haveMuslim jazz saxophonists,and tabla players who tourwith Sting, and thecelebrated choreographerand dancer Akram Khan.

Whatever else is going onthat causes fear andfrustration for Muslims, they must know that thewonderful diversity of Islamin Britain is the best thingthey have. This exhibitionattempts to capture some of that diversity and unity.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

<11>Veil, Institute of International Visual Arts, [ed] David Bailey and Gilane Tawadros, 2003, p12

ForewordCommon Ground affords aunique opportunity for eightyoung British photographicartists to explore issues relating to Muslim identity in the UK.Photography is the preferredmedium for these artists becauseit offers an unrivalled variety ofstrategies to engage with the wide range of the personal andsocial issues addressed within the commissions. In selectingthese artists, we were aware ofthe need to reflect the particularpreoccupations of Britishphotographic practice at thepresent moment. Included within the scope of this exhibitionis work which derives its impulsefrom the documentary ethos,but which questions and oftensubverts it in quite subtle ways.Other artists operate within morerecent photographic conventions,addressing conceptual,staged or graphic elements intheir practice.

The title “Common Ground”was chosen to allude to thecommonalities which connectMuslim and non-Muslimcommunities within the UK –from popular music and youthculture to the much broaderquestion of the practice of faithwithin a secular society. Given the constraint imposed by eightcommissions, the exhibitioncannot attempt to becomprehensive. Instead it sets out to provide a microcosm ofsome of the subtle ways in whichcontemporary Muslim identityhas been shaped by theexperience of Britain, and howBritish life and culture hasconsequently been influencedand enriched by the presence of its Muslim communities.Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’sintroductory essay analyses thehistorical background to theinteraction between Britain andMuslim cultures, against whichcontemporary experience mustbe viewed. As a leading Britishmedia commentator on issuesrelating to Muslim life in the UK, her essay will enableaudiences abroad to gain aninsight into some of thecomplexities and pertinentcurrent concerns preoccupyingBritish Muslims today.

From the outset the project wasconceived as a collaboration with gallery curators abroad.We are particularly indebted toYudhi Soerjoatmodjo for hissensitive and informed responseto all the work and his role incurating a parallel exhibition of work on the same theme byIndonesian photographers.

My colleague Sean Williams hasbeen responsible for all curatorialand administrative aspects of theshow. Without his imaginativeengagement and sensitivity, theexhibition would not havesucceeded in fulfilling its originalambitions. Finally our thanks goto the photographers themselveswho embraced their commissionswith an intellectual and aestheticrigour which has resulted in adiverse and challenging body of new work.

Brett Rogers, Deputy Director,Visual Arts

Published by The British Council, Visual Arts, 10 SpringGardens, London SW1A 2BNCatalogue designed by SpinPrinted by NirvanaEditors Andrea Rose,Brett RogersDistributed in the UK byCornerhouse Publications.70 Oxford Street Manchester M1 [email protected] 0 86355 516 0Publication © The BritishCouncil 2003, Texts © YasminAlibhai-Brown, the artists Images © the artists.Text and prints for The Belle VueStudio courtesy Tim Smithand BHRU.Exhibition organised and curatedby Sean Williams.

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