A CARIBBEAN art exhibition in memory of Windrush elders is currently on display in the heart of London’s financial district.
Caribbean Takeaway Takeover: Identities and Stories by Evewright, a sound and art installation, has now been commissioned and transferred to Lloyds Banking Group’s 14th floor restaurant at their London Wall building.
The space has been taken over, re-purposed and transformed into a site-specific art and sound experience and will be on show until November 30.
The installation commemorates and celebrates the lives of 12 Windrush elders – Alford Gardner, Lenore Sykes, Alton Watkins, Tina Aparicio, Don Sydney, Gloria Whyte, Hamilton Williams, Nell Green, Carlton Darrell, Carol Sydney, Allan Wilmot and Clarice Reid.
Evewright said: “This artwork is about the sharing, celebrating and preservation of our black British stories and history. Taking over Lloyds Bank is an example of how the corporate world, through art, are now embracing the contributions pioneers from the Windrush Generation have made to British society as a whole.
“Art is a good way of ensuring the stories of these elders are remembered. Their presence has left a legacy and impact on future generations. This installation is informative, educational and immersive and I am delighted to see how it engages a diverse range of people to experience and enjoy.”
The pop-up exhibition is based on a site-specific installation originally staged in Colchester, Essex, in 2018 by the artist who took over and transformed S&S Caribbean Takeaway, the only Caribbean-owned working takeaway in Colchester. The idea was to create an innovative and engaging installation in an informal setting owned and controlled by the Caribbean community.
Project producer Ionie Richards said: “It was a rewarding experience for us to record the lives of ordinary but extraordinary people from the Windrush Generation most were in their 80s or 90s. This installation will help raise awareness and bring to new audiences’ first-hand accounts of untold stories of a disappearing generation before it is lost. As a legacy of this project these audio stories are preserved by Essex Records Office to share with the public.”
The exhibition is open to employees of the banking group and visitors to the corporate office.
Evewright, a multi-disciplinary visual installation artist, challenges public environments to make spaces for black British stories to exist and thrive. He creates mirrors where he can see and recognise himself to instigate conversations in the mainstream about what it means to be black and British in the UK today.
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