The other side of silence

This collection supports and promotes awareness to the important mission and framework of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition's focus on the lasting power of the written word and the arts in support of the free expression of ideas, the preservation of shared cultural spaces, and the importance of responding to attacks, both overt and subtle, on artists, writers, and academics working under oppressive regimes or in zones of conflict, despite the destruction of that literary/cultural content. "Three books lie open, inviting the viewer to read them. Yet when one gets closer it becomes apparent the words are no longer there - the content has been erased, and all that is left is a marked surface, an empty page. The attack on al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad made me think about the feelings and mixed emotions such an event can cause. Mainly confusion, numbness and silence in the face of such atrocity. Silence is defined by what it is not. It is absence, hence, visually expressed, it is absence on the page. By erasing, scratching and deleting the printed words, nothing remains but punctuation, with silence between. The piece is also about the dichotomy of grief and remembrance, the people who have suffered, trying to forget and erase the pain, opposed to us, the 'viewers' of conflict through media reports and newspapers, trying to imagine what such a loss could mean to those involved"--The Book Arts at the Centre for Fine Print Research, UK website. "Michelle Cioccoloni is a practicing artist currently based in London and West Sussex, UK. She has recently returned from a long study period in Madrid, Spain. In early 2014, she received the Richard Ford Award, a scholarship that allows figurative artists the opportunity to travel to Spain. As a result of the award, Michelle spent over two months of intensive practice-based research at the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Drawing from the paintings in the museum's vast collection, including the Print and Drawings Department, Michelle was able to carry out in-depth study of the Spanish Masters, with particular emphasis on El Greco, Velazquez, Ribera and Goya. Michelle will return to the Museo del Prado in April 2015, to complete a cycle of drawings and sculptures which will culminate in a solo exhibition at Mercer Chance Gallery (Hoxton, London) in June 2015. Michelle was born in the United Kingdom, but grew up in Italy, a country which has given her an understanding of the depth and meaning of art in its historical context. Since graduating with a First Class Honours degree in Drawing and Applied Arts from UWE Bristol, Michelle has been Artist in Residence in Salzburg, Austria and Dumfries House in Scotland. In December 2013, Michelle completed The Drawing Year, a one-year MA-level postgraduate course at The Royal Drawing School, London. The Drawing Year has at its core intensive research and practice in drawing from observation"--The artist's personal blogsite (viewed June 18, 2015).