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 is an audio monument to peace campaigner Brian Haw. It is sited 24/7 in Parliament Square, where Brian protested against the Iraq War and other conflicts for ten years.

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, and a set of headphones.

Once you have crossed the road into Parliament Square Garden, the ‘Play’ button on the monument’s website will become active.

After pressing ‘Play’, you can move around the Square as much as you like. The audio runs for 36 minutes.

And There Was Brian was made with Brian's friends Michael Culver and Amanda Ward. It could not have been completed without the assistance of staff at the Museum of London, where hundreds of objects from Brian’s protest are stored. Brian's family gave the material to the Museum in 2012, a year after he died from lung cancer.

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 5m10s into the show.

Credits

Michael Culver
Actor, peace activist

Amanda Ward
Sculptor, peace activist

Guy Atkins
Artist-researcher

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