Given the increase of natural disasters in places such as Australia, Asia and more recently the South of Europe as well as the overall 'weird' weather that the UK has been facing in the past months (i.e, the supposed tornado of London from a few weeks back), now more than ever are people aware of climate change and the need to stop it.  But how can we? That is the average human being. The main perpetrators of excessive emissions of greenhouse gases is not the average person but large corporations. With certain billionaires at the helm of these corporations, who place a thrill ride to space over saving the planet, it seems that our plea to prevent the earth dying is being ignored by those who have the most power to stop climate change.  Whilst things look bleak on this front there is still much that we as individuals can do to prevent even the smallest amount of harm being done to our planet. Importantly if we, the average human beings, all chip in as much as we can, we ...

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...

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...

The NO Collective based in Romford ventured near Czech Republic’s capital city Prague for a seven day workshop for a funded trip to learn tools and methods to teach young people how to cope in a world of fake news and social media overload. The seminar, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, featured participants from eight different countries, including Denmark, Romania, Poland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal. During the trip, the three person UK delegation, (represented by the Havering team), were not only taught by industry professionals in critical thinking and signs of fake news, but were also tasked with talking about the country’s social media cultures. Member of The NO Collective Hannah Wilkes said: “Children use the internet and social media from such a young age nowadays, it is important for us to be able to tell them how to know what is true and untrue online. “It was also inspiring to speak to people from different cultures and backgrounds about their exp...