On June 17th, Natalie, our co-founder and MD was asked to host an international conference on the importance of cultural regeneration and creativity in public spaces. Organised by OCA Magazine and The Eurasian Creative Guild, 11 countries were represented in the call with over 25 participants joining to speak about their work and to gain inspiration for post-COVID-19 projects from each other. The main discussion points meandered around how although artists are innately flexible to their working conditions, our inspiration within public art is the positive change for its audience (the people) and members of the public should be central in reviving a creative presence in towns and cities around the world. Whether this be by online discussions, postal activities or socially distanced gatherings, the people are the beating heart of the city and there is duplicative and catalysing power between residents and artists working together. You can watch the full conversation at ‘ECG TV’ the offic...

Today, Natalie, co-founder of The NO Collective was invited to speak in an international conference facilitated by The Council on State Support to NGO's under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (CSSN). The conference,  "Coronavirus Solidarity, International Experience" was attended by over 120 participants which represented NGO's across post soviet countries and invited political guests.  Guest Speakers included Professor Ilyas Topsakal on behalf of Istanbul University, Yekaterina Alekseeva, a member of the Russian Federations Civic Chamber, Jedrzej Chodzinski, a member of Krakow City Council, Ajna Dizdarevic from the EU's youth parliament and other key members of society from 10 different countries.  The conversation, led by CSSN's Nargiz Khalaf ranged from mutual problems in civil society caused by the pandemic, singular problems associated with the speed of infection within individual countries and optimistic happenings of internati...

Faig Ahmed dismantles and reforms Azerbaijani traditions of carpet making, creating remarkable new works of contemporary art. Through his art practice he reconsiders these ancient crafts and their history by deconstructing both their physical form and their traditions, and questions the conventions associated with their craft by repositioning them in the contemporary art environment. From these ancient objects he creates new visual forms which challenge the role of iconic cultural objects in representing nations, traditions and history. The cultural significance of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan is reaffirmed by Ahmed’s practice who sees cultural history as a monolithic subject by which we establish our perspectives and visual vocabulary today but also something which is important to question and challenge.   Azerbaijani carpets are extraordinary and intricate creations dating back as far back as to the 2nd millennium BC. They are made up of range of schools defined by their geo...

Nicholas Joubinaux and Tim Ridley have been chosen to travel to Azerbaijan from the UK in April 2019 to create new art works in reaction to links between the two countries. A live crescendo of the three year long ‘InAzerbaijan’ project, audiences in both countries will celebrate these artist’s photographs, drawing and paintings in exhibitions in both capitals.  Joubinaux will display artworks from London and Baku in both digital and hand printed format, showcasing culture and architecture in both cities. Ridley will be presenting miniatures created in oil and with similarity in style to Azerbaijani and Persian miniatures.  The first exhibition will be held on Thursday 11th April at ‘Floors, the living space’ in Baku. The archive of works will also be preserved on the ‘InAzerbaijan’ educational website for years to come for young audiences to see.  “Im excited to capture the capital, Baku, which I hear has delightful spectacle and scenery”   Nick Joubinaux The In...

Namaz Kerimov   Most people around us think that politics are not related to our everyday life. In some opinions it is related only to politicians, businesses, political parties and government institutions. But unfortunately sometimes we do not understand that it is about life and it affects all of us. Society changes according to politics. It is hard to know sometimes how our life has changed until we stop for a moment and look at how different it is from ten or even five years ago. Think of our country today and 15 years ago. We’ve all heard a reference to how women never used to wear short dresses or have cell phones or even that so many bars were open to the public. Local people have changed in correlation with the government changing and new European values bringing new styles to our society. These values are imposed on us, especially the generation now that knows nothing but this. Politics has shaped us and changed us, not as individuals but as a society. Right now I liv...

Name:  Charlotte  Age: 18  Hometown: Romford, England  As a member of a society that relies on laws and regulations made by a single government, politicians and their policies have a great influence on my life. At this moment in time various political debates are going on throughout the world which will impact people’s lives. The one that will seemingly have the greatest impact on England itself is the vote to leave the European Union. I know little of what the outcome of this vote to leave will be. And it seems that during the debates conversations were more of a grudge match between Boris Johnson and David Cameron than a discussion of our future. There seemed to be both pros and cons of leaving the European Union and although they are constantly reported in the media I still only know for a fact that when we leave the European Union in 2019 things will change. Although I do not live In America it is the USA elections that recently sparked my interest. I payed close...

 Kamran Azizli  Azerbaijan enjoyed the boost of huge oil revenues for a full decade after the 1,760-kilometer-long (about 1,100 miles) Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline began operating in 2005. However the low price of oil has hurt the Azerbaijani economy particularly badly. Throughout 2016, almost all of Azerbaijan’s economic indicators have been on a downward curve. Oil export rates have fallen. But now, Azerbaijan is entering a new historical phase. The oil boom which boosted the economy has ended. The end of Azerbaijan’s energy boom requires economic reforms. Statistics and forecasters give optimistic prediction about the future of economy in the country. Future development plans are mainly focused on the development of non-oil sector considering the natural resources of the country. The future perspectives of economy are tourism, agriculture, and IT field for development beside oil and gas industry in the next 20 years. Tourism Tourism industry is crucial for diversifica...

Name:  Charlotte  Age: 18  Hometown: Romford, England  The ultimate future for the British economy is uncertain, very uncertain. Having crawled out the recession by the skin of our teeth an even larger money monster is crawling out of the sewers, of course I’m talking about Brexit. Unfortunately I missed the Brexit vote by a year or so meaning that I had no say in the matter but knowing what I do now all I can comment on is there seems to be a rocky path ahead for the British economy and by rocky I mean Brighton beach type of rocky. Now you may have noticed me using a lot of analogies and metaphors and that is for a reason because I am uncertain as to how to continue talking about the economic future brexit may bring because I just don’t know. Whereas there have been promises for great economic prosperity advertised on the side of a bus it is almost certain that none of that will come into fruition. Instead it is likely that we will be stuck in a form of purgatory fo...

Kamran Azizli  There have always been some gaps among generations through the history, but it is interesting what differs 1990s society from today’s one. One of the words young people, including myself, hear mostly from older ones is that “it wasn’t as it was before”. So I conducted a research both on internet and among people to show general view about this theme. The development of technology, social enlightenment and public awareness on critical issues have put impact and shaped the society in a different way. Over the 20 years, not only the worldview of people has changed, but also their approach to the processes in society. Our way of life has, in turn modified both positively and somehow negatively.  Technology addicted people To use technology widely, particularly through smart phones and modern computers, is the prime feature distinguishing today’s young people from previous. The phones used for calling by adults and the computers used for games by children in the past...

Name:  Charlotte  Age: 18  Hometown: Romford, England  Society is defined as a community of people who live, work and learn together; however it is very hard to determine what modern society is like within Britain today. There is such a diverse range of people and subcultures that in order to decide what society is like as a whole you would have to experience every part of the wide ranges of communities we have within one nation. Despite this every single person is able to produce an evaluation of their current society and the way it has developed within the past few decades. I personally believe that society has mainly progressed within my life time. Britain has developed a more diverse and accepting community. Although at the time of my birth society wasn’t necessarily as exclusive as it was 50 years previous there was still forms of quiet intolerance from many communities and certain groups were still largely discriminated against. However it is clear that since t...

The Last Jew is an emotional response to one mans’ tribulation of being the last of his kind in a community. Cleaning the graveyard everyday, his wife is buried here, as are his friends and his memories. This documentary short film aims to keep his memories alive across the globe. The International Romford Film Festival is in its first year and has accepted ‘The Last Jew’ eagerly in it’s first intake. The Festival has been launched to bring international independent film to a London audience to promote cultural education and quality indie film. The festival will be held in The Premier Cinema in Romford between 6th - 8th October 2017 and will see a launch event and gala awards ceremony hosting a plethora of celebrity judges and special guests. To name a few, guests and judges include The Gibb Collective, Sean Cronin, Winston Ellis, and Samuel Anderson. The entry of the film has been sponsored by ‘In Azerbaijan’ the uk’s web portal for Azerbaijan. With a similar ethos of spreading a cult...

Kamran Azizli At the time we live, many young people face a problem of finding a job after graduating from high school. According to the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan, only 5% of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 are unemployed. Some experts however note that these indicators are inaccurate, because most of the young people are not registered as unemployed. Last year, the number of graduates was almost 34,000 in Azerbaijan; however, it is unclear how many of them are provided with jobs, because universities and the education ministry cannot afford to note it as the educational dimensions are not responsible for students’ employment. I investigated the existing problem to establish facts and to show whether this situation in the economy is new. The relevance of the issue draws attention to the fact that there is a dual argument for the question among students. Work -related-issues Young people endure 4 year-study at university to become a qualified personnel, but so...

Name:  Charlotte  Age: 17 Hometown: Romford, England The current state of the job market in the UK means that it is becoming substantially harder to pursue a fulfilling career which intertwines your preferred field and a good working salary. Often, after studying for months on end to obtain a degree for over £9000 a year in tuition fees alone it does not amount to you getting your dream job. Yes a degree helps get the ball rolling on the job market but not the market of working in your specialised subject. This is especially the case with subjects that fall under the arts and humanities. Although it is still hard to get jobs in the sciences and you have to work hard to get a job in the industry there are still plenty of opportunities available to you whereas in areas such as the humanities jobs are sparse. The larger areas in which you can obtain jobs in these subjects is often teaching but for an impatient, ‘not good with kid’s’ person like me that narrows your options even f...