And Then... Back to Work

A few weeks have passed since the screening of Fragments of Belonging at Rosehill Theatre in Whitehaven and I'm only just beginning to properly process what happened.

What began as an exploration of Whitehaven, belonging, memory, migration, and identity gradually evolved into something much larger than I anticipated. Over the course of the exhibition and screening, it really warmed my heart to see so many people engaging with the work on display and with the questions afterwards.The evening of the screening still feels pretty surreal. The truth is at one point I really began to wonder whether I had bitten of a lot more than I could chew so my initial emotion was one of relief, and then seeing the film projected large in a theatre, hearing the sound out of loud speakers, and then hearing the audience respond afterwards with such warmth was truly touching.

Now that the film is finished, I can say I've enjoyed watching the story unfold. It wasn't an easy process especially with such a steep learning curve for programs and applications I've not been too familiar with.

The poetic and visual language of the work remains very important to me. As much as I have enjoyed this new-found passion for filmmaking, painting remains deeply important to me and always will and I would not want one practice to dominate the other. At their best, I want them to work together and inform each other. What excites me most at the moment is finding meaningful ways for those two worlds to interact with each other.

With the first phase of Fragments of Belonging now complete, I've begun thinking more seriously about where the work might lead next. Over the past few weeks, I've been developing ideas for a second phase of the project which would expand the work beyond Whitehaven and Ghana to include Antigua as a third point of connection.

The historical links between these places are complex and significant, but what interests me just as much are the human stories that exist within them. I find myself thinking a great deal about resilience, survival, and the fact that entire generations of people exist in places like Antigua today because their ancestors endured and survived unimaginable journeys and circumstances. 

I am currently developing an application to Arts Council England to support the research and development phase of the next stage of the project. I'm looking forward to sharing progress as we move along the spectrum but it will follow similar lines as the previous project with further filming, poetry, painting and archival research in Whitehaven and Antigua.

In the meantime, I've started submitting Fragments of Belonging to a number of film festivals in the hope of allowing the work to reach wider audiences and continue the conversation that began here in Whitehaven. 

So here's a question - your answer will really help my research... Do you know where your ancestors came from, and has that shaped your sense of identity and belonging in any way?

Please answer in the comments below and remember, your comments help other people to find the blog, your help is much appreciated.