At a well-attended show at the ‘Brighton Pop-Up’ gallery on the town’s seafront, Elana Neil’s insect-based photography covered one wall attracting plenty of curiosity. Some images drew attention to the beauty of the creatures while others tended to the uncomfortable, even the grotesque. Elana’s exhibition also featured a photo of a well-known, large wall painting/graffiti which can be found in the Brighton lanes, featuring giant insects swarming toward a paraffin lamp.
Elena Slobtseva’s works, featuring ordinary metal staples, occupied another wall and included an interactive exhibition where members of the public could add their own staple to a trail representing the movement of an ant colony. Two of Elena’s video pieces were also playing; one short piece of staples moving in an insect like fashion and another telling a story of bugs being rescued from water.
The images, along with readings from Animal’s People by Indra Sinha, combined to tell a story of our world the audience could relate to Bhopal. Events like this remind us how many people remain unaware the disaster even happened, never mind that it has never been properly cleaned up and that so little is being done to help the people of Bhopal. On that basis, events like this serve as a valuable tool helping us to reach new supporters.
The BMA wants to say a huge thank you to Elana for spearheading this exhibition and to all of our supporters who go the extra mile helping to spread the story of Bhopal.
