Tha Magna Carta Completes its Ealing Tour

Exhibition of 26 paintings displayed as part of 2015 Ealing Autumn Festival

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Festival Director Gillian Spragg presents Batrysie Hussain with her young ambassadors certificate

The Chaudry family display their Magna Carta coat-of-arms paintings

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Ealing Autumn Festival’s tribute to the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta has completed the last leg of its tour of libraries across the borough.

Magna Carta turns 800, an exhibition of unique coloured paintings, has been displayed at 12 different venues over five months as part of this year’s festival - officially opened in June at Ealing Central Library.

The exhibition has drawn many visitors admiring the 26 paintings which are based on the coats-of-arms of the 25 Magna Carta barons and King John. It was designed and organised by Diana Braybrook, a practicing artist in west London, and tutor to the 4020 Art Group based at Hanwell Community Centre.

Group members each contributed a painting to the event which is inspired by the vibrant colours of medieval stained glass and the highly decorative illuminated manuscripts of the period.

The tour of libraries has included a number of open days and young ambassadors have been on hand to discuss the importance of Magna Carta with visitors. The exhibition completed its journey at Greenford and West Ealing Libraries last Saturday. (November 21).

It was held in partnership with CCS (Cultural Community Solutions) of Carillion who run Ealing Libraries on behalf of the council and funded by Ealing Council ward forums along with a grant from Bubble.

However, there is still a chance to see the paintings as Hanwell Community Centre will display them in the centre foyer from the start of December until end of January. This will bring the exhibition back to the place where the creation of the paintings started, as the 4020 Art Group studio is at the centre.

Other Magna Carta themed events as part of this year’s festival have included a poetry weekend and competition, a concert from West London Sinfonia and a visit from Russian chamber choir Voskresenije, who performed at Ealing libraries and schools.

Festival Artistic Director, Gillian Spragg said: “Since June 13 the Magna Carta Exhibition has toured throughout Ealing Libraries accompanied by information posters initiated by the studies of young Magna Carta ambassadors. The programme of live music and literature has pointed up how sensitive repressive political regimes can be towards the arts.

“The Poetry Competition’s theme, judged by George Szirtes, was Magna Carta. There were some exceptionally fine poems from among Ealing people but with entries also from every inhabited continent in the world.

“Celebrating Magna Carta is a great way to revisit what we think of our freedoms, human rights and democracy. 2015 has been challenging year. There continue to be events at home and overseas which have brought into focus very vividly what it is that gives us freedom and happiness. We have also had to consider some of our rights and how we should or should not review them so that we can share them within a wider community.”

 

November 24th 2015