Voices From the Front Line.

Voices from the front line, Rendering the Real: Muted Stories captures the meaning of place and the loss of it through the telling of social histories by 'Front Line' men and women of the Brixton community.

When we think of the ‘Front Line’ we envision soldiers in trenches. When we think of a ‘Front Line’ our minds are filled with images of war. However there is an alternative space where community members congregate. Men and women meet old and new friends from back home. They convene to discuss experiences of their new cities, reflect on past memories and gather updates on any note worthy changes occurring at home. To the on lookers the ‘Front Line’ is a contested space characterised as the place where rioting began. But how did such a space acquire its title? What place in history, beyond rioting or insurrection does it occupy? Beyond the description of “men, leaning on a wall” how is this ‘Front Line’ characterised in other cultures and communities? And why is it culturally significant? These are some of the questions that I explore through a photographic and audio documentary of people who hold memories of experiences from the ‘Front Line’.

This project captures an urban space, which is visible in the memories of those who lived through its emergence and disappearance. Throughout my time amongst family, friends and colleagues the ‘Front Line’ is revisited as a place that holds a diverse array of thoughts revealing an essence of place. Along with descriptions that demonstrate its cultural signification which if not rendered artistically for documentation, may be erased from British and European history. The work contributes to the artistic history of regenerating migrant communities. I would like to explore the notion of voice in alternative space, to generate dialogue about the similarities and differences in the meaning of memorable meeting spaces between diverse communities.

As the ‘Front Line’ has not been erased from the minds of the men and women who once gathered there, its necessary to capture it.

Visit www.frontline198.com for the collaborative community project with 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning. Explore the projects through a response to archival delves and listen to the audio notes and muted stories of the roads people.