Windrush: A Voyage through the Generations

FAMILY TREASURES
The Voice of the Young

​The population with Caribbean (including mixed) heritage in this country is young: 29% are aged 17 or under, as compared to 21% for the total population, according to the 2021 England and Wales census. I was thus keen to find a way to have this group represented in my exhibition, Windrush: A Voyage through the Generations, which was created to honour the 75th anniversary, in 2023, of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush.

​I invited children of Caribbean heritage, and aged 16 or under, to use a mobile phone to photograph an artefact, a ‘Family Treasure’, that connected them, in one way or another, with their heritage and extended family, and to say a few words about why they had chosen it.

​My hope was to both create an artwork for the exhibition as well as to invite a conversation, that explored their history, between the child and a family member.

​My goal was to assemble 75 images, to mark the 75th anniversary; we ended up with 80 which were displayed in the exhibition in a visually stunning 3 metre installation (shown in the book). Of course it is the stories that go alongside the images that bring them to life; the book contains all 80 images and the accompanying stories.

TO BUY THE BOOK

The 40-page book is available in two formats
Print copy (£10 + P&P)
Downloadable PDF: (£5)

To buy the book:
Please e-mail: jim.grover@mac.com