Amber Massie-Blomfield on Acts of Resistance: The Power of Art to Create a Better World
We’re delighted to be joined by Amber Massie Blomfield to discuss Acts of Resistance her wide-ranging exploration of art as a form of political activism. In conversation with Adam Biles.
Free & open to all. Places limited. Arrive early to avoid disappointment. Most events take place on our first floor, which is accessible by stairs. If you have any concerns about access, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Reflective, joyful and rousing
In Acts of Resistance, Amber Massie-Blomfield writes about the artists who have treated the protest site as their canvas and contributed to movements that have transformed history - from the musicians in Auschwitz to the four-year siege of Sarajevo, from ACT UP's 1989 invasion of the New York Stock Exchange, to the Niger Delta and indigenous communities in Bolivia.
With stories and artists from across the globe, including Susan Sontag, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and Claude Cahun - alongside collectives, communities, amateurs and anonymous creators who have used their art as an expression of resistance - this fascinating book asks what is the purpose of art in a world on fire? Why are artists compelled to paint, write, dance and make music, even when the odds are stacked against them? And how can artistic creation be a genuine form of political resistance?
Combining cultural criticism, history and memoir, Acts of Resistance is an urgent reminder that art can make life more bearable in the dark times, and offers real hope that each of us can use creativity in defence of our humanity.
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Amber Massie-Blomfield is a non-fiction writer and arts professional. Her first book, Twenty Theatres to See Before You Die, was published by Penned in the Margins in May 2018, and received the Society of Authors’ Michael Meyer Award. She has written for titles including The Independent, The Guardian, Times Literary Supplement and The Stage and many more. She won Gladstone Library’s political writer-in-residence prize 2019, was shortlisted for the 2019 Theatre Book Prize, and was writer-in-residence at Arthouse Jersey.
Formerly executive director of internationally renowned theatre company Complicité, she has also worked as an arts producer with companies including Camden People's Theatre, Barbican, Actors Touring Company, tiata fahodzi, and English PEN. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and a graduate of UEA’s Creative Writing MA. She lives in Brixton.
