About

THE O F F S C R E E N STORY - A Journey with a Mission

The Offscreen Education Programme was set up by four young British artists - Al Braithwaite, Henry Hemming, Stephen Stapleton & Georgie Weedon - following their year long creative expedition to the Middle East in 2002-2003.

During the year, the artists worked in the souks, homes, forests, deserts and mosques around them, creating thousands of paintings, photographs, installations, collages, videos and stories, all of which offer a new perspective on this region and its people. The emphasis was, at all times, to work 'on the street' (link to 'Offscreen expedition' slideshow) and create a raw, subjective portrait of the region for the 21st Century.

The response in the Middle East was fantastic. There were international television interviews, national radio interviews in Muscat, Amman, Tehran as well as twenty-six national newspaper articles in Turkey, Iran, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Jordan. Robin Allen, the Financial Times' former Middle East correspondent, thought 'these artists did more in a year for the image of Britain in the Middle East than an ambassador might in a lifetime.'

A visual record of the expedition was published to critical acclaim in Offscreen, Four Young Artists in the Middle East (link to 'Offscreen the Book' slideshow) (distributed worldwide by Booth-Clibborn Editions, 2004) and their expedition artwork (link to 'Offscreen Artwork' slideshow) was exhibited in London, Amman, New York, Oslo and Tehran amongst others.

On their return to the UK, the artists set up the Education Programme as a way of sharing their experiences and contacts with as many young people as possible. Their aim was to inspire students to explore the Middle East in a creative and balanced way.

Utilising a new generation of educators, artists, photographers and filmmakers from the Middle East and UK, Offscreen has, to date, designed and distributed stimulating, image-based educational resources to over 1000 secondary schools across the UK. They also run interactive student expeditions to the region, enabling young people to travel 'Offscreen' for themselves.

Since 2003, Offscreen's pioneering initiative has led to partnerships with the Institute of Education, the British Museum, the National Society for Education in Art & Design and the Royal Geographical Society. Offscreen look forward to developing their educational programme into the future.

TEAM

Stephen Stapleton, BA, PGCE, 30, founded the Offscreen Education Programme in 2004 following a one year artistic journey through the Middle East in 2002-2003. He has a PGCE in Art and Design Education from the Institute of Education and currently works part time at the British Museum, coordinating an artist in schools programme for the Arab World Education Department. He has led art expeditions to Northern Ethiopia, the Great Plains of North America and the Middle East, published the acclaimed Offscreen, Four Young Artists in the Middle East and exhibited his expedition artwork in Tehran, Muscat, Amman, Oslo, Amsterdam, London and New York.

Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop, MA (Oxon), PGCE, FRGS, 29, coordinates Offscreen's schools programme. He is Head of Citizenship at an Inner-City Comprehensive in the East End of London. He is director of iNOMAD Education, an organisation breaking down the barriers that stop young people from interacting with the world. Through iNOMAD he is currently developing the Digital Explorer concept. He has led expeditions to Himalayan regions of India, Pakistan and Tibet as well as the Atlas Mountains. Jamie has a background at Human Resources and Communications at Shell.

Marjan Shirzad, BA, MA, 30, is Programme and Sustainability Developer for the Offscreen Education Programme. Born in Iran, Ms. Shirzad grew up in Tehran, Paris and New York. Earning her BA in Asian Studies-Middle East Concentration from the University of Virginia in the US, she is currently completing a Masters of Visual Anthropology at Goldsmiths College-University of London where she is specializing in cross-cultural expedition filmmaking and photography.

Dergham Owainati, BA, 33, is Offscreen director in the Middle East. He is based in Dubai and Beirut and develops Offscreens links accross the region. Dergham is a pioneer in cross cultural projects. He has worked for the United Nations and EMI records where he managed Arab music legend Kadim Al Sahir and Cheb Mami and executive produced over 50 albums. He is currently working on Offscreen's 2007 student expedition and collaborating with Offscreen on a new multi media project www.1000one.org.

Henry Hemming led the original Offscreen expedition and supports the education programme as a writer and artist. He is currently working on a collaborative art project with Al Braithwaite. His first book, 'Misadventure in the Middle East', published by Nicholas Brealey Books, is coming out in March 2007. See http://www.braithwaitehemming.com for more.

Al Braithwaite co-led the original Offscreen expedition and supports the education programme as a web designer and artist. He is currently working on a collaborative art project with Henry Hemming. See http://www.braithwaitehemming.com for more.

Georgie Weedon is a member of the original Offscreen expedition. She currently works for Al Jazeera.