Charlotte is an international visual artist, photographer, illustrator, feature writer, the Editor and chief of ASLI Magazine and President, Managing Director and co-founder of Art Saves Lives International. Charlotte is also in her last year of her BA (Honours) Philosophy and Psychological Studies degree and has taken creative writing for extra credit. With this she hopes to create on-line courses for creative therapies as well as writing her own books.
Charlotte has dual nationality between France and Britain and is bilingual. Having grown up between Paris and within an hour of London Charlotte was taken to art galleries and exhibitions from an early age, by her French Grandmother and Mother. Art, philosophy, literature, politics, music and fashion were passions within the family and promoted with great importance.
Charlotte is an active campaigner and activist for many issues, such as mental health awareness, women’s rights, anti-capitalism, anti-war and for breaking down rape stigma and fighting against rape culture. With her own struggles such as having to deal with Agoraphobia, PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, OCD and having survived Anorexia Nervosa and Psychosis, Charlotte wants to prove that a person such as herself does not have to be deemed unemployable or incompetent as she works against the odds everyday she tells people openly about her struggles to break down stigma and show that mental illness is like any other physical illness and she compares it to her diabetes and says she treats her mental health as she does her physical health, mainly because the brain is a physical part of us, so why should it be treated differently? Charlotte is also a rape survivor and is currently working on an exhibition about rape and rape culture which she hopes to exhibit around Europe and Asia in 2016/2017
Charlotte co-founded ASLI with Sadie Kaye and together they came up with the mission and aim of ASLI and with the intention to show the world that art in which ever form it takes can be used as a tool to better ourselves, heal ourselves and help the world communicate better.
Mohammed Farhan
Chairman
Mohammed Farhan
Mohammed is in the process of completing his BA(hons) in History with the goal of becoming a teacher. Also having extensive understanding in politics, international relations, religion and general studies, Mohammed is a fount of knowledge.
Mohammed has dual nationality between Jordan and Britain, and is fluent in both English and Arabic.
Mohammed is committed to raising awareness of Palestine, especially the occupied territories where his Arabic family originate from. Also a campaigner to end the war on the middle east and to help people understand better why these conflicts have arisen and to build bridges between Muslims and non Muslims.
Sadie Kaye is a comedic TV & radio presenter, actor, writer & filmmaker. A former children’s TV presenter on TVB (Hong Kong), Disney Channel (Paris), Nickelodeon & ITV1 (London), she now divides her time between Hong Kong, where she presents as the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) personality ‘Miss Adventure’, and London. The producer/ presenter of several independent documentary films broadcast on Channel 4 (UK), RTHK (HK), Sky TV & the Discovery Channel, Sadie has also worked as a writer-performer on several comedy sketch shows for BBC3, HBO & Comedy Central. She recently acted in FLIM The Movie, nominated for a BIFA in 2014, and West of Thunder, winner of ‘Best Film on Human Rights’ from the USA Political Film Society in 2013. Her début children’s novel, The Wishing Machine was published from London in 2014. As of April 2015, Sadie is Hong Kong’s No. 1 best-selling children’s author. She recently wrote a screenplay version of the book, in development with a film company in London. She is quite busy. Sadie co-founded ASLI with Charlotte Farhan and is in the process of developing international art projects for young artists to experience overseas. Sadie is an integral part of ASLI and with her experience and creativity she is building an international platform.
ASLI Arts and Mental Health Campaigner and Feature Writer
Jade Bryant
Jade is a visual artist and creative writer from Devon. She has previously studied Film and Television Studies, Art and English. While not having been able to complete her degree due to mental health issues, she hopes that from this, she will eventually be able to begin a career within the mental health sector, and help other people who are in similar situations.
Jade believes that art is one of the most effective methods of medication when it comes to releasing emotions that can often be difficult to deal with when you suffer with mental health issues. Jade has a dual diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder and uses her art as a means of release and healing.
Jade hopes that by expressing issues she is passionate about such as, mental health, anti-war, equality, anti-capitalism, domestic abuse, animal cruelty and other such issues, she can create less stigma and a more healthy, truthful awareness of such issues.
Jade met Charlotte through an online group for BPD Support and has followed her art and ASLI ever since. She says that Charlotte has been and still is an integral part of her recovery, and having the opportunity to end stigma and raise awareness for such important issues through such an amazing charity is truly an honour.”
After studying art, textiles, media and dance Lisa graduated with a BA Honours degree in Photography before going on to work in London assisting with picture desk editing, fashion styling and photography. Lisa then broadened her freelance career and trained in SFX makeup. Now working for the military in creating accident simulation. Lisa’s vegan lifestyle and involvement in animal rights activism has led her to explore how art can be used not only aesthetically but as a powerful tool of communication as well, helping to educate, raise awareness and help with recovery. Lisa enjoys using her creativity with her SFX make-up to aid training Army medics as it help improve medical training and saves lives. Lisa has spent a lot of time overseas, most recently travelling to India, Africa and Jordan. This has been an exciting chance for Lisa to visually explore other cultures and vast standards of living. In Africa she worked with the charity Hadamayaa where she created her project ‘ Faces of The Gambia’ Lisa is very excited about her role in the ASLI team and believes that together ASLI can enjoy engaging in artistic projects to create a more positive future.
Since an early age Bex Smith has been in awe of animals. Her innate, deeply rooted respect for them led her to question the integrity of intensive farming and mass production. So much so she became vegetarian at the age of 12 and later dedicated her educational career to becoming knowledgeable to allow her to be proactive.
A graduate in Animal Management (BSc Hons), Bex is currently furthering her skills by stepping away from the more conventional practices within the animal industry. She is studying pet psychology and Holistic animal healing with the ultimate goal of successfully running her own business as a fully qualified practitioner.
Bex has an extensive skill set and the drive to promote public awareness, which she is excited to add to the vast mix of experiences and opportunities the ASLI team can provide. She appreciates what a powerful medium art is and is keen to use it to promote animal welfare. ASLI has the potential to become an organisation that creates everlasting change and Bex is honoured to be a part of it.
With her caring nature, Bex loves people as well as animals. A firm believer in the benefits animals bring to human health, she is passionate about the contribution they make within therapeutic practices and plans to explore this through ASLI.
Becky Saunders
ASLI Ambassador
Becky Saunders
Becky has recently been studying Social Work but has interrupted her degree as she is unsure about the role of the social worker within the UK and the hypocrisy and contradictory nature of political agenda and government policy. Through her studies she has gained an interesting psychological, sociological and political perspective into the function of society and how individuals develop and deal with their misgivings throughout the life course. Her quest is to be part of a positive solution to the self-serving capitalist, consumerist state that today’s ‘society’ has unfortunately now become; this is one of the many reasons why she has joined ASLI.
Her future plans are to take a journey of discovery within Europe; volunteering within different settings to experience alternative support methods offered to people through times of privation with a view to taking ASLI’s mission to Europe and bringing back innovative ideas to support it. She offers some useful skills in working with people of all ages and walks of life, alongside an empathetic and experienced view of life and its ordeals and anguish.
Iain Turrell
ASLI Ambassador
Iain Turrell
In his professional carrier Iain Turrell has specialised in advising developers on the most cost effective and environmentally viable method of developing buildings to meet and exceed current regulations and Planning Policy. Managing a team of 5 consultants, Iain works on sites ranging from single units to large, 200 unit schemes for both private sale and social rent. Iain has also advised and audited businesses in order to recommend environmental improvements which will save money for the end client.
With a strong appreciation of ‘good design’ in all its forms, Iain is a budding (but still very much improving!) photographer – focussing on architecture and scenery snaps – in his spare time, as well as dabbling in Photoshop for graphic design and branding projects.
When not watching films or sport on the TV, Iain can be found chilling in the corner with the cats and his Ukulele, or undertaking numerous DIY projects.
Always willing to help-out, Iain hopes to bring as much of his experience as possible to Art Saves Lives International in whatever way he can.
ASLI MAGAZINE - creating change 