Our Croydon explores experiences and ideas of community archiving and story making across generations, reflecting on how people make a place. Together, members of the community and commissioned artists have been defining what shared heritage and personal legacy means to them.
Exhibitions at Croydon Clocktower Atrium Galleries, Stanley Arts, Talawa Theatre and Turf Projects will feature a new photography and text installation by actor, poet and artist Jeremiah Brown, a new audio installation by composer and sound designer felix taylor and a film made in collaboration with elders from Croydon’s Caribbean community made by poetic-activist, drama therapist and performer, Nina Mdwaba.
Workshops, talks and events include a Talk and Theatre Workshop at Talawa Studios by Rachael Nanyonjo – Co-Creator and Director of Recognition and a listening and score making workshop with Our Croydon commissioned artist felix taylor.
Our Croydon is a series of transdisciplinary exhibitions and events that incorporate archival practices, film/moving image, photography, sound, text and performance that celebrate the wonder and surprise embedded in the stories of the everyday of living and working in Croydon.
Credits:
Our Croydon is a project by Talawa Theatre Company, in partnership with Museum of Croydon and Stanley Arts, as part of This is Croydon, London Borough of Culture.
Co-curators and Co-producers: Dr Cecilia Wee & Lehni Lamide Davies
Assistant Curator and Producer: Amina Jama
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Public Programmes
Alongside curated exhibitions, we are offering a free and accessible series of public events dedicated to the community archiving and story making, and based on the themes of shared heritage and personal legacy as explored throughout the Our Croydon project.
These events include a screening of Our Croydon’s Legacy film & conversation with filmmaker Nina Mdwaba, an open talk & theatre workshop with Racheal Nanyonjo, Co-Creator/ Director of Recognition, and listening and scoremaking workshop with Our Croydon commissioned artist felix taylor.
We hope that this series of events offers something for everyone in the wider community to enjoy and take part in.
Exhibitions
Alongside offering a series of free and accessible public events dedicated to the community archiving and storymaking, the Our Croydon project features four curated exhibitions at Croydon Clocktower, Talawa Studios, Stanley Arts and Turf Projects in November and December 2023.
Central to Our Croydon was a collaboration with a Caribbean elders group who participated in creative archiving workshops over a three-month period. Guided by themes of well-known and lesser-known people and places local to Croydon, community participants identified personal stories they wanted to share. The stories that emerged from these community workshops have been creatively archived and documented in a new film work by Nina Mdwaba showing at Talawa Studios. These community stories have also provided inspiration for new works by local artists – a photography and text installation by Jeremiah Brown showing at Stanley Arts, and an audio installation by felix taylor showing at Turf Projects.