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Outlook: Ups and downs in a vertical world

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Ian Powell in a climbing gym

25/06/2020 GMT

Ups and downs in a vertical world

BBC World Service - Outlook, Ups and downs in a vertical world

Ian Powell is a climbing hold designer who rebuilt his life after years of drug addiction

Ian Powell is a sculptor and rock climber whose life was derailed by drugs. He went through years of homelessness and prison before art and climbing helped him rebuild his life.

As a child in the US, Ian Powell had two great loves: art and rock climbing, and he was good at them both. By the early 1990s he had made a name for himself as a sculptor and professional climber, and had taken part in global competitions. He even combined his two great passions by designing climbing holds – objects that climbers grab and stand on as they make their way up a climbing wall. But by 2010, aged 39, Ian was a homeless drug addict and facing prison for credit card fraud. He tells Emily Webb how the climbing world came to his rescue and helped him get his life back on track. He now runs a successful multimillion dollar business making a popular brand of climbing hold.

Obi Emelonye is a Nigerian filmmaker known for large scale Nollywood epics, such as the disaster movie, Last Flight to Abuja, and the fantasy adventure, The Mirror Boy. But his latest work was made entirely in lockdown and features just two actors - who roped in their relatives to be crew members. Heart2Heart is about a couple who find themselves on two different continents just before their wedding day – and Obi directed the whole thing sitting at home on his laptop.

Romain Malan is a UK-based cello player from France and the founder of the World Harmony Orchestra, which brings together musicians from different backgrounds. When lockdown started in London, he organised gigs in the streets for people who were self-isolating and to accompany food deliveries for vulnerable people.

Picture: Ian Powell
Credit: Jackie Hueftle

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