Journey to Nottingham

Today I went to the New Art Exchange to watch ‘Journey to Nottingham’ presented by the Nottingham black archive as part of black history month . I really wanted to go to this event as I believed that it would allow me to gain more knowledge about my chosen topic and also get first-hand information rather than just reading about the Windrush in books. The night was filled with several African and Caribbean individuals sharing their first experience of coming to this country. The speakers talked about why they came to this country and how they ended up in Nottingham. The event overall helped me gain further understanding of my MA project whilst at the same time educating me on the topic of migration.

The event started off with the audience getting to know each other over a cup of tea. While there, I was seated next to a member of the Nottingham council. We started to talk and he began to share with me the history of Hyson Green and how it used to be when he first moved to Nottingham with his family. As we talked I told him why I was here and what my MA project was based on. In return, he told me that three years ago the Nottingham council had a big celebration event for the Windrush 70^th anniversary and that I could find all the information about the event at the Nottingham Library. This was really useful to me as it will enhance my research for the Windrush.

When the event started the first speaker was called Mrs Louise Garvey. She talked about her life in Jamaica when she was younger. I really loved this part because it really painted an image in my mind of how life was in Jamaica. It showed me different aspects of the Caribbean life. One thing that was really interesting was when she talked about how her grandparents raised her because her mother had left to England (the motherland) to find a job. She said most people in the Caribbean were raised by their grandparents while their parents were working or went out to find jobs. She talked about how grandparents taught their grandchildren to be young ladies and young men and to always present themselves in the best way. This connected to my MA project as this went back to the reason why the men and women were dressed so well when coming to the UK, they wanted to represent their country and race in the best light as possible to the white Europeans.  Also, this was important because Jamaica was colonised by the English and the way the English dressed had an impact on their dress sense. I wanted my MA project to reflect this as I really wanted to go back to the days when men dressed as men and women dressed as women. I really liked this idea and wanted my work to reflect this. I don’t want my work to just be about clothes I want to present a way of living a whole life style to my consumer. I want my collection in a way to pay homage to those migrants that came over to a new country. They didn’t necessarily get accepted by the natives but they got on with it and made something out of themselves and strived for better not just for their families but for society as a whole.

She went on to talk about how her mother had sent for her when she was 15 to come over to England to join her. I enjoyed her memories of England even though at times it was hard for her to speak about the struggle, she spoke with such pride and dignity that I had no other choice but to respect her because of what she had experienced in life and how she was still standing strong.

She also reminisced on the house parties that used to be held and how much fun they had. A lot of the time, black people were not allowed in clubs so they threw house parties most of the time where they played music from the Caribbean and new music from America. She said being young and in a different country was fun and exciting as well as it was bad at times but they learned to just get on with it.

This information links to the information I gathered about America’s influence on the Caribbean Islands. Many of the men in the Caribbean had gone over to America to work, but due to the oppression of slavery and how black people were being treated many returned back home, and they brought back some of the fashion trends with them.

After the event had finished, I went over to speak to her and I told her what my MA project was about and she was elated. She told me how she thought that their stories were forgotten about with the youth of today. This really encouraged me to do the best I can with this project as I am representing a generation who some have forgotten about or don’t really know there story. I remember when I was doing my BA final collection at Lincoln University. I really wanted to base my next collection on the Windrush ( I always plan my collections ahead) but I didn’t know where I wanted to take it and didn’t have time to research so promised myself that over the summer I would look deeper into it. I am so happy that I am doing this project because as I learn more about these people it also encourages me to keep working harder.

There was also a poet called Pitman Browne who was performed some of his work . He was extremely entertaining and the way he delivered his poems were really cool. He created a beat with his words (kind of like a reggae calypso beat) it was really fun and interesting.

Overall it was a good event that I really enjoyed it personally and also I believe that it will help me with my MA project.