Evewright Arts Foundation (EAF) is pleased to announce that artist EVEWRIGHT will create Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories a unique outdoor site-specific Art Installation at Tilbury Cruise Terminal Essex between September – October 2020.
This outdoor art and sound installation will be launched in Art Autumn and as part of Black History Month as we emerge out of isolation to bring this important work to you. This has been a time to reflect on the impact of Covid -19 and how, through this artwork, we respond to commemorate and memorialise the lives of the Windrush Generation and their legacy.
The bridge will be a memory walk of images and documents installed on 552 panes of glass representing the lives of Windrush pioneers and descendants. The installation features a soundscape of new and existing audio stories that visitors can download on to their devices using QR codes. The Tilbury Bridge installation
will be used as a back drop to a series of live performances from selected artistic practitioners curated by Artist EVEWRIGHT. The theme of ‘Transition for renewal’ will be explored through experimental drawing, sound, movement, and words.
Caribbean elders were once the key workers that kept the National Health Service, public transport and the factories working, a role which many of their descendants now fill. This period has sadly seen a significant loss of Caribbean elders and black key workers who have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 virus.
YOUR STORIES
Families of the Windrush generation will be invited to submit an image of their parents / grandparents or elders taken between the 1950’s-1970’s of key moments such as passport, wedding or photographs in their work uniforms. The hi-resolution image should be sent with 50 words including the person’s name and career. They will form part of the artist’s installation on the bridge so that their lives can be commemorated. The call out will be launched online on Windrush Day June 22nd. For advanced information on how you can submit your images please send an email to [email protected]
EVEWRIGHT developed the original Caribbean Takeaway Takeover to create Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories a new installation brought to Tilbury Port an iconic location which has an historic significance to the black community. This artwork is a unique statement memorialising the lives of those that carried their British passports proudly with hope and expectation as they passed through the original walkway where SS Empire Windrush passengers, in 1948 arrived. They were the first post war wave of British colonial citizens to disembark from the passenger ship at Tilbury Cruise Terminal and this location is symbolic of the many that followed that journey to the UK.
Strategy for the Future
As part of EAF’s new development and online strategy Arts Council England (ACE) has awarded our organisation Emergency Response Funding that will help support our sustainability. This will be an exciting phase where we can broaden our reach to new audiences. We are passionate to seek out, find and preserve valuable untold stories from marginalised Black communities. We will present them across multiple online platforms and settings in an innovative and engaging way to reach people from young and older generations in spaces and settings where they can experience art that is relevant to their lives. We value the importance of our community telling their stories in their own voice.
EAF has been awarded a Windrush Day Grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to contribute to the Tilbury Walkway of Memories installation. This amazing outdoor site-specific art and sound project aim to educate, celebrate and commemorate the lives of Windrush Pioneers and will be available for the public to share and enjoy.
EAF Creative Artistic Director EVEWRIGHT ( Everton Wright ) said:
“It is a delight to continue the development of our Caribbean Takeaway Takeoverseries. Over the past 3 years we have put a spotlight on the lives of our Windrush elders and will continue to collect and tell their stories and those of their descendants particularly in this unusual period of the Covid-19 Pandemic which brings its own challenges. My dear mother Clarice Agatha Reid a Windrush elder who took part in the installation with her stories, passed away in April. It a timely reminder that It’s more important than ever that we preserve our elders’ stories, before they are gone, to commemorate their legacy and their contribution to British Society. Love You Mum.”
Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
“…we are a better country for the central role British Caribbean communities have played in post-war Britain. British Caribbean communities have made Britain a better, more prosperous country in so many ways.
They have made an incredible contribution to their country.”
Paul Dale, Asset and Site Director at The Port of Tilbury said:
“Forth Ports is privileged to be part of the Windrush history through its connection with the arrival of The SS Empire Windrush at The Port of Tilbury on the 22nd June 1948. The EVEWRIGHT exhibition will be displayed on the passenger footbridge down to the Tilbury Ferry, and will be of keen interest to those wishing to understand more about this part of our local history.”
