This is an account of the policing of the demonstration organised by Boycott the Human Zoo Campaign on the opening night of Brett Bailey’s theatrical installation Exhibit B presented by the Barbican at the Vaults Waterloo.
As part of our work on art, offence and the law, Julia Farrington, associate arts producer, Index on Censorship, interviewed Eva Pepper, DV8’s executive producer about how she prepared for potential hostility that the show Can We Talk About This?...
By Julia Farrington July 2015 In the early stages of Index on Censorship’s programme looking into art, law and offence, we wrote a case study about Coventry's Belgrade Theatre, which premiered the production of Behud – Beyond Belief, 2010. The play...
An artistic performance or exhibition may present material or themes that cause offence to members of the public or members of different social groups.
Counter-terrorism is a complex and controversial area of the law, not least because the offences are often very widely drafted.
Child protection is a sensitive area of law and a deserved focus of public concern. The prospect of a police investigation alone will be a matter of substantial press interest, while an actual prosecution, although unlikely in the professional arts sector, would nevertheless result in grave consequences for the gallery and the artist.
Free expression is not a “nice-to-have” add-on, a mere luxury principle tacked on the end of other more basic rights
Following a conversation at a What Next? meeting about the difficult situations cultural organisations can find themselves in when an action sparks controversy – for example, the presentation of a divisive piece of work, or a contentious...
The public space should be accessible to cultural actors, artists and organisations representing civil society and should be free of constraints
Index welcomes King Hamad’s pardoning of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, but calls for the release of all political prisoners in Bahrain
Petitions, letters, and press releases from Index on Censorship