Embassy Cultural House welcomes 2024!

As 2024 begins, Embassy Cultural House work continues. The beginning of the year will see the third edition of the ECH tabloid published on February 2nd, a new online exhibition scheduled to launch in early February, and a published anthology that centers on London history and culture over the last 70 years. The anthology, An Alternative Cultural History of London, Ontario: Art and Activism is forthcoming in Spring 2024—more information below. 

We continue to monitor the situation in Gaza as we work. January 15, 2024, marks 100 days of the continuing genocide in Gaza. In South Africa's application submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, arguing that Israel's military action and bombing of Gaza breached the Genocide Convention, there are nine pages outlining Israeli genocidal incitement. It goes without saying that South Africa represents the best interests of all those around the world. 

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ECH Co-Founders Ron Benner and Jamelie Hassan
​Donate Indigenous Materials to the Woodland Cultural Centre

WCC Librarian Jane Hill with donated materials from Ron Benner and Jamelie Hassan's collection and library. Photo credit: Ron Benner

​On December 20, 2023, Ron Benner delivered 13 boxes of Indigenous books and material to Curator Patricia Deadman and Librarian Jane Hill at the Woodland Cultural Centre. From the extensive library and collection of ECH Co-founders Ron Benner and Jamelie Hassan, the materials were successfully donated to the Woodland Cultural Centre Resource Library. The Woodland Cultural Centre library is currently being renovated and moved into the newly-renovated former Mohawk Institute Residential School, which has been developed into an Interpreted Historic Site and Educational Resource. This donation represents an extensive and long-standing relationship between the Embassy Cultural House and Woodland Cultural Centre, and we are so happy to share news of this donation with the wider ECH community.

We would like to thank ECH Contributing Editors, Alexis Green and Emmy Meredith, for their extensive work in cataloguing these materials prior to donation. 

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ECH Presents: A Community of Trees

“Bowen Island, B.C." by Roland Schubert, 2021.

​Though it is not widespread knowledge, trees have the ability to communicate with each other through a variety of means. Their elaborate root systems contain fungi, which can send messages to nearby connected trees to warn of dangers or other predators. Just as humans function best when working together as a collective and a community, trees are best able to thrive when they are a part of a forest, connected to other trees. A Community of Trees will highlight the versatility of trees' existence and how they are an important and essential part of the ecosystem.  

This exhibition has been curated by ECH Contributing Editor Emmy Meredith, with the assistance of ECH curatorial advisors Ron Benner and Jamelie Hassan. The exhibition will be launched in early February - stay tuned for more information! ​

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Paul Walde: Glacial Resonance at McIntosh Gallery

Paul Walde, “Requiem for a Glacier," 2013. Documentation of site-specific performance. Courtesy of the Artist. Photographer: Douglas Noblet.

​January 19 - March 16, 2024
McIntosh Gallery
Western University, London, ON

Artist-led Exhibition Tour
Friday, January 19 at 6:30PM
 Registration required

Opening Reception
Friday, January 19 from 7PM to 9P

​Presenting the glacier as a central protagonist, Glacial Resonance brings the stark reality of otherwise distant mountain ranges to the forefront. A solo exhibition of ambitious projects by Canadian artist Paul Walde, Glacial Resonance shares the artist’s enduring concern about environmental crises, channelled through sound and video. Best known for his interdisciplinary performances staged in the natural environment, Walde’s work often involves music and choreography. His immersive installations materialize from projects on mountain sides and from deep in old growth forests that involve myriad volunteers and performers, and technically – and geographically – challenging logistics. The splendor and sense of awe evoked by these landscapes, emphasized through the embodied sound experience of Walde’s installations, offer alternative modes in which to traverse the overwhelming scale of climate change.

For more information on the exhibition, please visit the McIntosh Gallery website. 

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​An Alternative Cultural History of London, Ontario: Art and Activism
​ forthcoming Spring 2024

The ninth printed publication to be released by the Embassy Cultural House, An Alternative Cultural History of London, Ontario: Art and Activism will be a celebration of London's unique cultural environment, as it stands presently and historically. The publication includes contributions from a range of cultural practitioners including writers, artists, and cultural workers. Editors for the anthology are Ron Benner and Jamelie Hassan; Managing Editor is Blessy Augustine; designed by Olivia Mossuto. The publication will be printed in an edition of 500 copies. ​

The Embassy Hotel in 1990, photographed by Rebecca Diederichs.

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Relevant and Related Links

• From CBC: “After days of confusion, Trudeau government says it will abide by ICJ on genocide case against Israel" by Evan Dyer
• From The Globe and Mail: “Canada has a moral obligation to support South Africa's genocicde case against Israel" by Avi Lewis
• From the Toronto Star: “As a journalist, I’m crushed by my industry’s silence on our Gaza colleagues" by Shree Paradkar
• OCAD University’s Faculty of Art presents: Art Creates Change, The Kim Pruesse Speakers Series with Ali Kazimi. For more information on the artist talk and reception on January 18, and the screening and seminar on January 26, please visit OCAD University's event page. 
• From the London Review of Books: “Talk of Genocide" by Zinaida Miller
• From CBC: “Liberal, NDP MPs to travel to West Bank to connect with Palestinians" by Raffy Boudjikanian