Members of the Windrush community in Hackney are being invited to inspire a series of sculptures that will become the UK’s first permanent, public artwork to honour the Windrush generation
Artist Thomas J Price will use photo archives and digital 3D scans to create large-scale figures, which will stand tall in Hackney’s Town Hall Square.
Now, Thomas is looking for up to 30 participants, who are over the age of 18 and who are connected to the Windrush generation, to have a 3D photo taken in their own day-to-day clothing. Their appearance will inform the sculptures, although there will be no obvious likeness to any individual in the final pieces.
Those who would like to take part may be one of the many Caribbean people who arrived in the UK from 1948, or a younger descendant who is a child or grandchild of a Windrush settler.
The work will serve as recognition of the hugely significant contribution people from the Windrush generation have made to life in Hackney and the UK, while seeking to address the disproportionate lack of statues representing Black people in Britain.
Thomas, whose vision was selected by Hackney Council’s Windrush Artwork Commission in 2020, said: “This is an amazing opportunity to show how people connected to Windrush are part of the very fabric of this country. I feel honoured to be part of this celebration of its legacy, especially as my Jamaican grandmother came over as a nurse.
“I am very excited to work with the people of Hackney on this project, and it’s my hope that this piece will challenge social perceptions and receive engagement from audiences that are often left out of traditional gallery environments.”
Hackney’s Windrush Artwork Commission has also selected a submission by artist Veronica Ryan. This artwork will show large-scale Caribbean fruit and vegetables – inspired by her trips to Ridley Road Market – and will be placed in a separate Hackney location in autumn 2021.
To find out more and to apply to contribute to Thomas’s historic sculptures, visit bit.ly/TJP_WS by Monday, 3 May 2021.
