Feminism in London 2013 Conference

Feminism in London 2013 Conference

Saturday 26 October

Institute of Education, London

 

What are some of the important issues facing women today?

What can YOU do to help?

 

The largest Feminist Conference in the UK is taking place on October 26th

 

The event will be a coming-together of women and men to reaffirm why feminism is still needed and what can be done to combat the problems faced by women today. Speakers include Caroline Lucas MP, filmmaker and activist Gita Sahgal and barrister and campaigner Shabina Begum. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Object, Finn Mackay and many more will be sharing their views.  There will also be topical workshops including discussions on female genital mutilation, labiaplasty and human trafficking. Secularism within feminism and women in the media will be covered, as well as practical sessions on activism and assertiveness, among many others.

 

Taking place at the Institute of Education, the event will include the presentation of the Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize – an award that celebrates an individual who has raised awareness of violence against women or children. The event will be followed by the annual Reclaim the Night march against sexual violence.

 

FiL is also hosting the first planning meeting of the Stop Porn Culture movement which will be launching early next year

 

Art is taking a special place this year, with work being shown from established feminist artists, women in prison and women coming through difficult times.

 

There is a crèche and workshops for children and teenagers.

 

Registration for the event is now open and tickets are priced at £10 (unwaged) and £25 (waged). For more information, please visit www.feminisminlondon.co.uk

Profile: Elizabeth Mizon

 

Lives in: Bristol, UK.

Contact:

emizon@ymail.com

Create: I am currently making my first documentary feature about the political economy of the media. We're taking an in-depth look at the history and the inner dynamics of the industry to illustrate that the UK (and global) media's failings are not the result of an accidental decline in previously upheld standards, but the logical outcome of the densely capitalist industrial model that it is built upon. If that sounds quite heavy, then good! It's a big topic, but film is an effective medium for explanation and engagement.

Other creative stuff: I blog about once a month, mainly on media representation; though I have occasionally veered from this topic, that's the current vein. However, my next few articles that I have mapped will certainly break from this subject, as I want to make a conscious effort to expand my output to cover the other aspects of communication and industry that I am rapidly learning more about.

I also write feminist film reviews for The Vagenda, and post to the community blog on feministing.com, and I have my eye on writing for a favourite site, Cracked...it's relatively mainstream and on a tangent to my usual style so that's still in the pipeline, if they'll have me.

I am the only current female member of the Bristol Radical Film Festival team, and I also volunteer at the amazing Cube Cinema; an entirely voluntary-run, horizontally integrated cinema and arts hub in Bristol city centre. Also, I love taking pictures, and I'm almost great at it now.

One thing I love about Feminism is... Feminism is about agency, and as agents of their own self-expression, people will define themselves in wildly different ways under the same/different labels. I love movement towards gaining better understanding, making connections with other people, and preventing injustice and suffering. I reckon feminism is one of those movements, and feminists are the people who act to make it happen. I love feminists who will promote feminism in the face of opposition, from ridicule to violence.

elizabeththethird.wordpress.com

@elizabethethird

vimeo.com/emizon

Interview: Dorone Paris

Welcome Dorone Paris, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed by Feminist Create!

So, what brought you to live in Ireland?

That’s actually simple, I moved to Ireland with my Irish partner. Also, I’m a PhD student at the University of Cork in Ireland.

How much time do you get to spend on being creative?

I’d say about 70 % of my time. The rest goes into saxophone teaching and travelling from one meeting to another.

Do you like solitude to be creative?

Yes, I find it crucial and necessary. Not like a lot of great artists that I know who work at night time, I usually find my solitude in the early hours of the morning. I think it has to do with the smell of the fresh air which inspires and wakes up my brain,

What is your main creative practice?

I find it difficult to separate both my practices as they both feed and react to each other. Time wise you can that composition serves as my main creative practice.

When and why did you learn the saxophone?

My music studies were both formal and informal. In my early years I studied sax informally in my birth town’s small music centre. When I reached high school I decided that all I wanted to do was to play sax, so I moved schools and went to Leo Baeck High School which I guess I can refer to it as my first formal music education. After high school I continued my formal education and completed a BA degree in music and philosophy from the University of Haifa in Israel. From there I continued to the University of Leeds and gained a masters degree in composition. At the moment, I'm a PhD student in University College Cork in Ireland.

Can you tell us about PATH and what brought you to found this organisation?

PATH was created in order to allow the public to engage, contribute and influence for a better future in Israel-Palestine. I felt that an organization as such was missing in Israel and that by creating one, all political artistes could feel united and inspired to create and act for Israel-Palestine.

PATH aims to raise and expand peaceful thoughts between both Jewish and Palestinian civilians in Israel-Palestine. Through performance art, PATH spreads a message of acceptance, unity and brotherhood between our peoples. Above all, PATH demands and end to intolerance, hatred and violence between people belonged to the same land.
PATH: is an open place for artists who accede to this vision, and want to exhibit their artistic creation and Musical pieces. The PATH brings contemporary art to the street in order to both shock and legitimize the message that aggressive acts will not be tolerated. “The show will not go on until the hatred ends”.

As Jews we are almost commanded to be world changers and activists, how has your Jewish and Israeli heritage impacted on your decisions to be a visible world changer?

As an Israeli, born to a Jewish family I feel that’s it’s my duty to act for coexistence and peace around the world. This mission derives from the need to protect any group, culture and country from horrible human crimes, as those who were acted against the Jews in World War 2. ‘Never Again’ is my mission statement which drives my activism against blind racism.

When did feminism come to be a part of your life?

It was always an apparent part of what I did. From playing the saxophone rather than the flute, an instrument that was never a ‘woman’ instrument, to political activism which I again is a doctrine which men rule. My inspiration and feminist drive came from my mom who kept on supporting my activities while making sure that I know that nothing in the world can stop me, no man , no chauvinistic idea – as mom says, women are stronger than men

I'd love to hear about something you are really excited about and pleased about you and your life at the moment?

On the 23rd of October a piece of mine called Aid For Gaza is getting its world premiere. I'm very excited about this performance as I've been trying to reach different venues with this piece for a while now, however it seems that it’s easier from a lot of people to ignore the horrible siege the people of Gaza are in; they don’t have enough access for food, or any way of traveling outside Gaza and abroad. The oxford dictionary definition of siege is ‘a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender’ – unfortunately it applies to the situation in Gaza.

The performance of this piece calls for all cultures, states and countries to unit together and bring an end to the siege. Aid For Gaza’s performance will take place in Regent Hall- Salvation Army on Wednesday 23rd October at 7:30 pm.

Thanks again!

Profile: Charlotte Chorley

Lives in: Cambridge, UK

Create:  I am currently working on a poetry blog (www.salompoetry.tumblr.com); at the moment it features only my work but, having a few artistic/creative female friends, I am hoping to broaden it into a collective medium where people can post their narratives and art work. My poetry is inspired by classical mythology, my travels around the world and by contemporary political issues.

Other creative stuff: I am the Women’s Officer at Pembroke College, where I get to engage with the higher level of university women’s politics and am surrounded by a fun, active network of women who always keep me aware of what’s going on in the world.

What I love most about feminists... is the inclusiveness. ‘Feminism’ does not marginalize or exclude; the group of women I get to mingle with in Cambridge’s Women’s Forum are so welcoming, so positive and so inspiring. They bring out a political fervour I never knew I had.