Meet Ian McMillan & Ian Beesley the producers of Magic Lantern Tales

'world-class – one of today’s greatest poetry performers' Carol Ann Duffy
‘Ian Beesley is a photographer with a specific vision, meticulous observation, a journalist’s eye for detail and a poetic touch’ Jane Richards, The Independent

Using a genuine magic lantern projector, poet & broadcaster Ian McMillan and documentary photographer Ian Beesley tell a story of the First World War from the point of view of men who survived it and lived on to old age and a changing world. Here too are the tales of women who worked in the factories that oiled the wheels of war.

We often view war as a series of huge historical sweeps and this show reminds us that war is made by people who each have their own narrative of what happened.

The second half finds Ian & Ian exploring the subjects of magic lantern shows  -  from the natural world to engineering and from local novelties to the far-flung corners of Empire  -  with plenty of knockabout humour and improvisation along the way!

“In Magic Lantern Tales the past and the present come together in pictures and poems that take the audience back to the First World War and forward to everybody's experiences of work and play and war and loss. The room will be dark but the pictures and the poems will light up the spirit!” Ian McMillan

Ian is poet-in-residence for The Academy of Urbanism and Barnsley FC. He presents The Verb every week on BBC R3 and he’s a regular on BBC Breakfast, Coast, Pick of the Week, Countryfile, Last Word and The Arts Show. Previously, Ian has been resident poet for English National Opera, UK Trade & Investment, Yorkshire TV’s Investigative Poet and Humberside Police’s Beat Poet. He’s been a castaway on Desert Island Discs and was featured on The South Bank Show. Cats make him sneeze. @IMcMillan [url=http://www.ian-mcmillan.co.uk]http://www.ian-mcmillan.co.uk[/url]

Ian Beesley Hon FRPS is artist in residence for Bradford Institute for Health Research. His work is held in the collections of the National Media Museum Bradford, The Imperial War Museum London and The Smithsonian Museum Washington USA. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2012. www.ianbeesley.com

Book your tickets to see them on 11th June at The Collection
 

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