Stories of refugees, machine guns and tradition

Will the Tradition Survive?, Then Chih Wey

Peter Fryer focuses on the everyday resistance of the Palestinians against the horrors of occupation of and exclusion from their homes and homeland. The Palestinian refugees have been living in the camps of Lebanon, Palestine and the 'unrecognised villages' in the Galilee and the Naqob Desert since the tragedy of 1948 when the Palestinians were forced out from their country. Today there are over 3.4 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East including the overcrowded camps along the borders of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, informs Fryer.

Fryer's photographs, all black-and-white, depicts these people now in the 4th generation. Born in Lebanon they are still classed as 'foreigners' with minimum political and civil rights. 'Often the children of the camps remember Palestine through the memories and dreams of their grandparents, although this older generation is fast disappearing,' says Fryer.

Hilary Knox's display presents some interesting aspects of the three-day weapon display held twice a year in Bullitt County of Kentucky. Photos show a wide array of weapons and ammunitions including AK 47, M 16, Uzi, assault rifle, flame-thrower, canon and napalm displayed at the event. Fruit juice jars filled with bullet shells, enthusiastic people firing Totenkopf guns, stickers depicting strong emotions against terrorists and posters of Osama Bin Laden, depicted as a target for shootout practice, come as the subjects of Knox's pictures. A photograph shows a stall that provides flame-throwers and napalm rental.

Then Chih Wey captures the fading lifestyle traditions of the people of Masouleh in Iran. One of its attractions is the village architecture. A place with tourism features, Masouleh's age-old traditions are, however, constantly threatened by the influences of the tourists. 'Whether this beautiful little mountain village can survive in the new millennia remains to be seen,' comments Wey.

The exhibitions end today.