We invited artists and writers to submit work exploring the theme of Light and Dark—in all its nuances, contrasts, and in-between spaces. This open call sought creative interpretations that pushed beyond the literal and embraced the complexity of duality, convergence, and transformation. Below are pieces of text by our for your reading pleasure.
***************************************************
Last weekend, as the world marked International Women’s Day, I found myself watching a documentary about Ruth Ellis—the last woman to be hanged in the UK. I knew her name, but not her story. As it was it was a life that we see repeated still, a women suffering at the hands of the men in her life. Then when she finally gets the nerve to do something about it, she is the one they blame!
Her trial was swift, her defence dismissed, her suffering invisible to the men who judged her. The justice system, built by and for men, had no room for the complexities of abuse, desperation, or survival. It made me think about how, even today, women’s voices are silenced in dark courtrooms.
This poem, The Last Shadow, is my response, by Nichola Rodgers - www.nichoalrodgers.com
"The Last Shadow"
(For Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in the UK, 1955)
The gavel fell like a closing door,
a sentence carved in cold iron words.
The courtroom was no place for light,
only the long stretch of men’s voices,
each syllable another tightening rope.
They did not see the bruises,
only the bullet,
only the way she stood—
chin high, hair neat,
as if daring them to call her guilty.
As if she had not already lived the sentence
long before the trial began.
The law was never made for women
who bled in silence,
who bore their wounds like shadows stitched to skin,
who were told that pain
was not a defence,
but an obligation.
At dawn, they took her to the gallows,
where darkness does not plead,
where light does not intervene.
She stepped forward,
not as a monster,
not as a martyr,
but as a woman who had been given
no choice except the night.
And when the world went quiet,
when the last breath was stolen,
the sun still rose—
as if justice had been done.
But the shadows remained.
********************************
Our next two poems are by our fabulous resident poet Peter Devonald - you can see more of his work on his blog here!
******************************************
Artist name - Simon Williams
Link to Instagram @kormeleon
Biography
Simon has been writing and performing poetry since being exposed to The Mersey Poets at an impressionable age. Now based in West Yorkshire he has been published in magazines. Ezines and in a couple of anthologies and performs at local poetry society and open mic nights. Micropoetry and random other things @kormeleon.
**********************
Artist name - Hunter Deorum
Link to Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deorum_studios?igsh=cDNxcDFuZDBpb25l&utm_source=qr
Website https://amberellydodd66.wixsite.com/mysite
Biography
Hunter Deorum is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist who specialises in illustration, graphic design, and animation.
Central to Deorum’s practice is the exploration of the intersection between art and psychology, with a particular focus on the aesthetic experience.
By examining how visual stimuli influence cognitive and emotional responses, Deorum creates art that not only engages but also elevates the viewer’s perception. Deorum’s approach to art is a vehicle for diverse subjects, including activism and education.
Through artistic techniques and psychological insight, Deorum’s work aims to provoke thought, evoke emotion, and inspire change.
Each piece is an invitation to delve into the complexities of the human psyche, reflecting a commitment to both artistic innovation and psychological research.
His work has been featured in galleries, institutions, and print.
***********************
Artist name - Karyn Easton
Link to Instagram - www.instagram.com/secret.shutter
Website - www.secretshutter.co.uk www.onlyhere.co.uk
Biography
Karyn Easton graduated in 2024 from Central Saint Martins in London with a Distinction in Fine Art Digital. She attended Cleveland College of Art and Design in 1989 with an HND in Visual Communications with a specialty in commercial photography. She also has a first class BA (Hons) in Industrial Design Marketing.
After work experience in London with some well known big name brands, she worked for a while as a graphic designer and had a number of subsequent roles in the Creative Arts Industry.
After a nearly 18 year gap to bring up her children, she began teaching photography at evening school. Building up her range of classes, she moved to her local college, where she is now a photography lecturer.
Image 1 - https://youtu.be/txupEzfeVkg?si=yUnhyU84JfqYJwci
The Balance of Power Mobile is a complex art piece that examines both the positive and negative sides of AI art. The 3m high mobile id not only a beautiful kinetic sculpture, it also has a layer of augmented reality so that when a mobile phone is pointed at the elements text pops up. The text are quotes supplied for this project by a number of leading artists who make their opinions clear on AI. AI art is very black and white Some people love it and others hate it.
Image 2 - https://youtu.be/oCkNxZNdu_s?si=nlGPmAq72bnbNmHb
A short experimental digital art film that explores through poetry the rise of mankind and his ultimate journey into AI and AI art.
Image 3 - https://youtu.be/GtdvfNZfHEw?si=eYpr8esLC2zv0Fxq
This is a black and white augmented reality art book that explains the rationale behind the book on the balance of power book. It offers a black and white narrative that suggests that the AI art industry needs to clean up its act regarding the infringements of Artists and the copyright surrounding their work
