Hero – the future of gods, icons and heroes
created by Martin Firrell – public artist and social activist
featuring Nathan Fillion -star of Waitress, Serenity and Firefly
Hero for Iraq was created especially for the Curzon and was as a pre-film short at all Curzon cinemas.
Hero is by London’s most prolific public artist and cultural activist Martin Firrell.
The project is an attempt to re-evaluate what we mean when we use the word hero. It asks the question why are our heroes usually male, white and violent; and airs the views of men, women and children who have experienced a different kind of heroism, at home, at work, at war.
Hero was initiated by Martin Firrell on the internet earlier this year, as a provocative piece of web art asking people to add their voice to the work, in the form of their experiences and views of heroism in the 21st century…
...the response it received was immense and overwhelming, as we received stories from people in over 80 countries across the world. Hero has now become a movement and taken on a life of it’s own in many countries.
The project lives in many forms, reacting to the daily changes in the political climate of the world through Martin’s response to the input that we receive through on the website www.completehero.com
This premiere of Hero for Iraq is based on an anonymous offering from a soldier currently in Iraq. It voices his views on violence and war from the very centre of the conflict. Martin has used this inspiration to create a touching and at times chilling meditation on war.
And this is only the beginning…
The project continues to attract new visitors to the website each day and as human rights activist Bianca Jagger has now joined the project as the female presence in the work, Hero will continue to grow.
The culmination of the Hero movement will be a large-scale projection onto one of London’s major landmarks in 2008.
About the creator
In recent years Martin has become acclaimed in the capital for placing provocative statements on London’s major cultural institutions in the form of light projections of his text.
“Firrell writes open chord statements that make your ears ring” The Times
“I like words on public buildings and Firrell is a master of gauging their power” The Independent
Recent commissions have included The National Gallery, The Royal Opera House, Tate Britain and he currently working lighting up the skyline with a piece for St. Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of Christopher Wren’s building.
His work also often causes controversy as he challenges the way in which we lead our lives and how our country is governed. His statement “I want to live in a city where the Police don’t shoot you” projected onto the front of the National Gallery and featured in the Guardian on the anniversary of the death of Jean Charles de Menezes was a perfect example.
Hero is Martin’s largest and most important work to date.
Web links
To view Hero online visit www.completehero.com
For further information on Martin’s previous work visit www.martinfirrell.com
or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Firrell
Contact
For any press or general enquiries please contact:
Emma Callander Director of Projects for Martin Firrell
07974 148 075
emma@martinfirrell.com
