A Memory and its Place was created in response to the official Government ‘Life In The UK’ test, which new migrants coming into the country have to pass in order to become UK citizens. We wondered whether people already living in those places would have different information to share about their neighbourhoods.
In 2015, Jason, a photographer and I visited multiple ‘Life In The UK’ test centre locations across the UK. We asked local people what was important about where they lived. We did this through engaging with communities and running tailored workshops and speaking to people on the streets. The photographs and poems we produced were directly linked to these community-run discussions.
This project was a highly collaborative project achieved in conjunction with Brecon Hill Community Centre, Middlesbrough; Olive Tree Community Centre, Exeter; Downgate Community group, Carlisle; Norbury Library, Croydon; Laindon Community Centre, Basildon; Great Carlton Village Hall, Lincoln; Elders Befriending Project, Birmingham. It was generously funded by Arts Council England.