Matt Brosnan reveals the research that went into representing the peace effort in an exhibition and a book
People Power: Fighting for Peace is the title of a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum (IWM)London and the accompanying book by Lyn Smith.
Both explore how anti-war and peace protest in Britain has evolved over the past 100 years, during a period that has seen two world wars, the cold war and numerous military interventions.
In the exhibition, visitors can see rare items such as a handwritten poem by Siegfried Sassoon and Gerald Holtom’s original sketches for the nuclear disarmament symbol, now widely known as a peace symbol.
Accompanied by a book published by Thames & Hudson, the exhibition tells the stories of individual and collective acts of anti-war protest, and the varied forms of creative expression used to campaign against war.
From the beginning of the project, we wanted the book to work as a standalone piece rather than just a catalogue of the exhibition. It complements the exhibition by covering the same themes and period, and sharing some content, but offers additional detail.
As the curator of the exhibition, I was responsible for researching and writing the content for that part of the project. Smith, a freelance writer and interviewer who has worked with IWM for many years, took on the writing of the book. The two of us worked alongside throughout the process to the benefit of both elements.
Smith had conducted numerous oral history interviews with anti-war and peace campaigners for the IWM’s sound archive over the decades.
She had written books such as Voices Against War, which combined excerpts from many of these interviews with narrative context. This provided useful background and much of the sound archive material was used in the book and the exhibition.
Smith’s interviews also meant she had a good network of contacts who had experienced and participated in anti-war activities. Ernest Rodker, an anti-war and anti-nuclear campaigner since the 1950s, was one such example.
I visited him and sifted through his collection of placards, posters, leaflets, badges and photographs. Rodker generously agreed to lend items to the exhibition, as well as to be interviewed by Smith.
In this way, we were able to ensure that the book and exhibition shared enough content and imagery to link the two, without becoming repetitive.
The book is comprehensively illustrated, which lent itself well to the visual nature of the content displayed in the show.
Both the book and exhibition include a rich combination of paintings, literature, posters, banners, badges and music.
They reveal the breadth of creativity generated by those who have opposed war and how anti-war protest has been inextricably linked to the cultural mood of each era.
The book and the show offer distinct but complementary elements – so they can be enjoyed together or on their own.
Matt Brosnan is the senior curator at the Imperial War Museum London. People Power: Fighting for Peace is at IWM London until 28 August
People Power: Fighting for Peace is the title of a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum (IWM)London and the accompanying book by Lyn Smith.
Both explore how anti-war and peace protest in Britain has evolved over the past 100 years, during a period that has seen two world wars, the cold war and numerous military interventions.
In the exhibition, visitors can see rare items such as a handwritten poem by Siegfried Sassoon and Gerald Holtom’s original sketches for the nuclear disarmament symbol, now widely known as a peace symbol.
Accompanied by a book published by Thames & Hudson, the exhibition tells the stories of individual and collective acts of anti-war protest, and the varied forms of creative expression used to campaign against war.
From the beginning of the project, we wanted the book to work as a standalone piece rather than just a catalogue of the exhibition. It complements the exhibition by covering the same themes and period, and sharing some content, but offers additional detail.
As the curator of the exhibition, I was responsible for researching and writing the content for that part of the project. Smith, a freelance writer and interviewer who has worked with IWM for many years, took on the writing of the book. The two of us worked alongside throughout the process to the benefit of both elements.
Smith had conducted numerous oral history interviews with anti-war and peace campaigners for the IWM’s sound archive over the decades.
She had written books such as Voices Against War, which combined excerpts from many of these interviews with narrative context. This provided useful background and much of the sound archive material was used in the book and the exhibition.
Smith’s interviews also meant she had a good network of contacts who had experienced and participated in anti-war activities. Ernest Rodker, an anti-war and anti-nuclear campaigner since the 1950s, was one such example.
I visited him and sifted through his collection of placards, posters, leaflets, badges and photographs. Rodker generously agreed to lend items to the exhibition, as well as to be interviewed by Smith.
In this way, we were able to ensure that the book and exhibition shared enough content and imagery to link the two, without becoming repetitive.
The book is comprehensively illustrated, which lent itself well to the visual nature of the content displayed in the show.
Both the book and exhibition include a rich combination of paintings, literature, posters, banners, badges and music.
They reveal the breadth of creativity generated by those who have opposed war and how anti-war protest has been inextricably linked to the cultural mood of each era.
The book and the show offer distinct but complementary elements – so they can be enjoyed together or on their own.
Matt Brosnan is the senior curator at the Imperial War Museum London. People Power: Fighting for Peace is at IWM London until 28 August
