And There Was Brian
An audio monument to Brian Haw
2018 – present
Visit andtherewasbrian.uk.
Go to Parliament Square.
Press ‘Play’.
‘And There Was Brian’ - a site-specific audio monument to Brian Haw.
And There Was Brian is an audio monument to peace campaigner Brian Haw. It is sited 24/7 in Parliament Square, where Brian protested for ten years against the Iraq War and other military campaigns.
To activate the monument, go to the square, and stand across the road from the Houses of Parliament. You will need a smartphone with its GPS function turned on.
Once in Parliament Square Garden, the ‘Play’ button on the monument’s website will become active on your phone. After pressing ‘Play’, you can move around the square as much as you like. The audio runs for 36 minutes.
And There Was Brian tells the story of Brian’s protest through the account of his longest-serving supporter, actor Michael Culver. It documents Michael and his wife Amanda Ward’s visit to the store of the Museum of London where hundreds of objects from Brian’s protest are kept. Brian's family gave the material to the museum in 2012, a year after he died from lung cancer.
Michael Culver (centre) and Amanda Ward (far left) visit the store of the Museum of London in 2017. Michael made many of the banners, placards, and t-shirts held by the museum as part of the Brian Haw collection. Image: Simon Roberts
Brian Haw (centre) stands with Michael Culver (right) in Parliament Square on Remembrance Sunday in 2009. Image: Richard Baker
Listen to a clip of ‘And There Was Brian’:
To listen to a short clip from the monument, play the August 2023 edition of The Multibody Records Show on Noods Radio. Brian can be heard from 5 minutes into the programme.
Read more:
‘And There Was Brian’ – he’s still in the square, Westminster Extra, 28 March 2025
Credits
Guy Atkins
Artist
Michael Culver
Actor, peace activist
Amanda Ward
Sculptor, peace activist
Nina Garthwaite
Audio producer
James Bulley
Sound artist
Vyki Sparkes, Catherine Nightingale, Jen Kavanagh, Alex Werner, Cathy Ross
Staff at the Museum of London
Patrick Fry
Graphic designer
Greg White
Web programmer
Simon Roberts
Photographer
James Sui
Web designer
Simon Spencer-Hyde
Actor