Showing posts with label Re-imagining the laws of England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Re-imagining the laws of England. Show all posts

Sunday 24 May 2015

Book Arts exhibition celebrating the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta


War and Emergency - Volume 50

In my volume of Halsbury Statutes, I have scarred and bloodied the surface of the pages to symbolise the effects of war.  The shredded statutes represent the suspension, or tearing up, of laws.


Changing the Laws of England - an exhibition of altered book art at the Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne - opening 15 June






Halsbury Statutes – ‘War and Emergency’, Volume 500

In the case of a declaration of war or a national emergency, laws and ‘due process’ can be suspended in the interests of maintaining the safety of the realm. This could involve what would otherwise be considered infringements of personal liberty, such as imprisonment without charge.

The Magna Carta has become a great symbol of personal liberty and an important landmark for the idea of protecting people from illegal imprisonment and providing access to justice.  However, the proposed transfer of power away from the monarch to the barons in 1215 was to apply only to nobles not to ordinary people! 

In my volume, I have scarred and bloodied the surface of the pages to symbolise the effects of war.  The shredded statutes represent the suspension, or tearing up, of laws.

The exhibition opens on 15th June 2015 at the Rodd, Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne.
 
http://www.sidneynolantrust.org/whats-on/gallery/re-imagining-the-laws-of-england