Day of the Dead Procession

Columbia Road in East London celebrated Mexican Day of the Dead on Saturday, 28th October 2023.

Click the image above to see a video of this year’s procession…(opens in a new window).

Mexican Day of the Dead is, despite its name, a joyful celebration honouring the passing of loved ones. On this day, it is believed that the spirits of the ancestors return.

Columbia Road is famous for its flower market, and flowers are an intrinsic part of this annual celebration. Flowers such as marigolds decorate the outside of houses and help the dead find their way back to the land of the living and represent the transience of life.

Expect face painting, artists creating shrines, ghostly figures from the past and a joyful Mariachi band. Dress colourful and creative, celebrate life!

The festival is based upon the Pre-Columbian cycle of life and death, while the Christian Festival of All Hallows’ Eve is still celebrated in many parts of Europe. It was the syncretism of two distinct belief systems, Christianity and Pre-Columbian religions, five hundred years ago that led to this unique celebration.

This year it was led by friends Sue Kreitzman and Florent Bidois.

Emerald 20 Exhibition

The Arts Project celebrated 20 years of connecting art and mental health with the launch of 'Emerald 20' exhibition

Click the image above to watch Anna Bowman’s video: ’EMERALD 20 - 20 years of the Gallery at St Pancras hospital. (Opens in a new window).





The Arts Project is celebrating 20 years of connecting community art and mental health with the launch of their 'Emerald 20' exhibition.

It opened on Friday 16 June, the installation at St Pancras Hospital Gallery features exhibits from 67 artists who have contributed to the popular and highly acclaimed exhibitions over the past 20 years. Keynote speakers opening the exhibition over the years have included writer Germaine Greer, broadcaster Jon Snow, politicians Ken Livingstone and Frank Dobson, and exhibiting artists have included Carolyne Kardia, Ella Guru, and Sue Kreitzman.





Emerald 20 is a celebration of every artist who has contributed to the gallery over the past 20 years, and every visitor who has attended. The space is a key connector between The North London Mental Health Partnership, the artist community, and local people. There have been thousands of visitors to the exhibitions, which are open to the public from 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday. The gallery has also provided comfort to service users attending appointments and their loved ones when they come to visit and also provided an avenue for some to express their own art and feelings towards their mental health and recovery journeys.

Exhibition Venue: St Pancras Hospital Conference Centre gallery, located at 4 St Pancras Way, NW1 0PE.

The exhibition will run from Monday to Friday, between 9 am and 5 pm.

Above: Sue Kreitzman with her installation 'Goddess Phone'.

Sue Kreitzman exhibited her Memory Jugs at The St Pancras Conference Gallery in London at the Pixels and Pigments Exhibition. Curated by Peter Herbert and Maurius Els. Meet the Artists included a promenade flute performance by Nicky Heinen.

Click the image above to watch Sue on Meet The Artists, on her Youtube channel (opens in a new window).





















To view the film on the exhibition by film maker Anna Bowman and more of her work, click HERE to view her Vimeo Channel (opens in a new window)

Sue: "These works... I call them Memory Jugs, they are originally a tradition from the American South where you took bits and pieces from a dead person's pocket and you put them on a putty covered jug - and it came a Memorial. Over the years they have become more (in my work), about the female landscape, about colour, about the joy of being female and about feminine power, especially when it is unleashed. You can see the power, I'm big on using lighting bolts, and lots of bits and pieces. I collect bits and pieces and I have almost all my life. It celebrates making things with your own hands. It's just about making the most of the colour, the fun, the glory of life and keeping yourself sane. I myself am a walking collage... its about colour, its always about colour."

Sue and Florent at The Day of the Dead at Columbia Road

Columbia Road in East London celebrated Mexican Day of the Dead on Saturday, 29th October 2022.

The festival is based upon the Pre-Columbian cycle of life and death, while the Christian Festival of All Hallows Eve is still celebrated in many parts of Europe. It was the syncretism of two distinct belief systems, Christianity and Pre-Columbian religions, five hundred years ago that led to this unique celebration. The Pre-Columbian Festival is over 3000 years old.

Columbia Road is famous for its flower market, and flowers are an intrinsic part of this annual celebration. Flowers such as marigolds decorate the outside of houses and help the dead find their way back to the land of the living and represent the transience of life.

In collaboration with local florists, Columbia Road shops will be decorated with flowers, Shopkeepers will be dressed in suitable attire - with expect face painting, artists creating shrines and ghostly figures from the past.

There was a procession, a beauty parlour and a mariachi band, and a Colour Walk.

Many cultures and countries celebrate and honour their departed ancestors. In China, the Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated, where for a whole month, burnt food is left for the ancestors – while in India, they celebrate seven generations with a bath in sacred water and then a feast. In Cambodia, it is one of the most important festivals of the year: people pray and make offerings, and in the mornings and afternoons, buffalo races are held.

See more info about Columbia Road on their website: https://columbiaroad.info/day-of-the-dead/

The Colourwalk at Old Spitalfields Market chat with Sue Kreitzman

Click the image below to see a video of Sue talking about why the Colourwalk exists, on Sue's YouTube channel. (Opens in a new window)

"I always get dressed up and have been coming to Old Spitalfields Flea Market for the past 20 years. It's very important to me and little by little it's turned into this large Colourwalk event. We don't actually walk... we sort of stagger around! We come to have fun, drink coffee and support small businesses - it's not just about dressing up, it's about supporting the traders. Without the market there is no Colourwalk. It's not a vanity project, even though there is vanity involved as we love to dress up in our colourful outfits and take pictures of each other. But the ethos of the event, and of my life, is to support the market through the Colourwalk. We don't need to shop in chain and department stores, we go support the traders and shop in Charity Shops. That's what life is all about."





Click HERE to open the Colourwalk Facebook Event page. Come, get colourful and join us!