Labyrinth team speaking on arts and human rights in Malta. Credit: Malta Festival of Ideas
The right to non-violent protest across Europe is increasingly under threat from repressive laws, excessive force, arbitrary arrests, unwarranted restrictions and invasive surveillance technology.
Yet, peaceful protest is a powerful and public way for people to make their voices heard.
The Fingerprint Labyrinth, an art installation created in response to Amnesty International’s 2024 report, Europe: Under Protected and Over Restricted: The state of the right to protest in 21 European countries, has offered hundreds of people space to reflect on the freedom to protest. The installation has had a busy year travelling to the Agape Centre in Italy, UNESCO RIELA at Glasgow University, Iona Abbey, Hilfield Friary in Dorset, Southwark Cathedral in London, Greenbelt Festival and Wittenberg in Germany.
Most recently, the Fingerprint Labyrinth was invited by the Government of Malta to be part of a week-long festival in the capital city of Valletta. Pat Livingstone performed her musical compositions at the opening ceremony and Kaz Reeves performed her poetry. Meg Wroe’s labyrinth attracted visitors each day, with many of them contributing to the Ribbon of Hope and adding their own fingerprints to the collection. Catriona Robertson was interviewed live on breakfast TV to spread the word about art and the right to protest.
Fingerprint Labyrinth at Artivisim Futures: Reimagining Human Rights Activism
Saturday 15 November 9.30am-5pm
Kairos, 84 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TG
The Fingerprint Labyrinth will be part of an exhibition held in London in London. The exhibition will explore how creative activism (artivism) is transforming human rights work. Through hands-on activities and discussions between artists and human rights campaigners, the day will collectively imagine new possibilities for creative resistance.
Along with the Fingerprint Labyrinth, other art works which responded to Amnesty International’s report on restrictions on the right to protest will be on display as part of Art Rights Truth research project at the University of York.
Host the labyrinth
The artist-activist collective has received expressions of interest from Family Groups in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and North America about hosting the labyrinth in 2026.
If you would like to find out more about hosting the Fingerprint Labyrinth (it will travel and comes with full instructions and support), particularly in places where people experience heightened barriers to participation, please contact the London Family Group collective on [email protected].
Follow the Fingerprint Labyrinth’s progress on Instagram
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