Description
Object description
British artist with Imperial War Museum in GB, Thailand and Japan, 2005
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1968-2005: art education at Chelsea; exhibitions and description of neo-romantic art; background to gaining commission from Imperial War Museum including knowledge of Imperial War Museum art collection and visit to Auschwitz, 2001. Aspects of commission as artist with Imperial War Museum in GB, Thailand and Japan, 2005: details of commission; discussion of sketching; question of constraints on output; outlook on commission; knowledge of Second World War in South East Asia; organisation of trip; art materials taken on trip; journey to Thailand; visits to sites on Burma-Siam railway including comparison of Thai and Australian museums; descriptions of drawings made; comparison of work and experiences with that of Ronald Searle and other Far Eastern POWs; scenes in jungle; reactions to memorials and museums; proximity of visit to work camps and contact with a Burma Campaign veteran; length of time in Thailand; opinion of output; approach to visit to Japan.
REEL 2 Continues: journey to Hiroshima; preconceived ideas of city; visit to Atomic Bomb Dome aka Hiroshima Peace Memorial; impressions of river and trees; contact with survivors; impressions of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park including comparison with memorials in Berlin; discussion of the effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs on the memorials and Cold War; visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum; comparison of display of body parts in Japan and Thailand; background of fellow visitors; interaction with sites and museums; details of artistic work undertaken; reflections on visit.
REEL 3 Continues: journey to and arrival in Nagasaki; visit to hypocentre in Urakami and concern about movement of Urakami Cathedral; visit to and impressions of Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum including sketches made; visits to Dutch and Scottish areas; Japanese emulation of British Empire; importance of visit to Nagasaki; comparison of Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorial sites; use of interviews in museums including description of sketch titled Museum; work at end of trip; photographs taken; activities in Osaka including comparison of peace museum with those at atomic sites; details of resulting installation in the Imperial War Museum exhibition, Captive, including reflections on artwork of Far Eastern POWs.
REEL 4 Continues: contact with schoolchildren before visit to Far East; messages left at exhibition; talk with Sergeant William Rose about diary he kept while POW; details of exhibition held in Belgrade; thoughts about war and peace.