A Multi-ethnic City that represents an Intermix of Nations
Rational
The main theme in this project is society & culture within London. London's population is made up of various ethnic groups, cultures, religions, over 300 languages and millions of people who visit from all over the world. I want to explore this subject as I am intrigued by different types of people who are influenced by their mixed background and also the traditions they are surrounded by everyday. I come from a small country in east Africa where there is a lot of tradition; coming over to London as a young child and being brought up here makes me part of two cultures. As a result of my own experiences I want to explore other peoples backgrounds and the different life changes they have made through my photography; where they come from? why they moved to London? do they consider themselves British?
Everywhere you go in London there are a variety of faces from all over the world. This is because of the vast number of people who have immigrated here from different parts of the world over many decades. For various reasons, people moved to Britain, made a home and a family here and engraved their traditions on the British society. London however, is the most unique city as it has more variation, over time it has evolved to create a suitable environment for different types of people and this makes it an all rounded cultural place. I aim to capture and document this multiculturalism and uniqueness in my photographs by exploring the different areas in London.
Rational
The main theme in this project is society & culture within London. London's population is made up of various ethnic groups, cultures, religions, over 300 languages and millions of people who visit from all over the world. I want to explore this subject as I am intrigued by different types of people who are influenced by their mixed background and also the traditions they are surrounded by everyday. I come from a small country in east Africa where there is a lot of tradition; coming over to London as a young child and being brought up here makes me part of two cultures. As a result of my own experiences I want to explore other peoples backgrounds and the different life changes they have made through my photography; where they come from? why they moved to London? do they consider themselves British?
Everywhere you go in London there are a variety of faces from all over the world. This is because of the vast number of people who have immigrated here from different parts of the world over many decades. For various reasons, people moved to Britain, made a home and a family here and engraved their traditions on the British society. London however, is the most unique city as it has more variation, over time it has evolved to create a suitable environment for different types of people and this makes it an all rounded cultural place. I aim to capture and document this multiculturalism and uniqueness in my photographs by exploring the different areas in London.
Introduction
In the first chapter of my dissertation I go back to 1946; the end of World War two and the start of large groups of immigrants coming into Britain from the Caribbean's. The conditions were poor after the war; borken and old buildings, food was rationed, clothing was expensive and people started to move away. As a result there were work sortages so they brought refugees from Europe and south America. George Rodger is a photographer I look at as he documented immigrants arriving into London. Chapter two is based around the 70s, a large group of 28,000 African Asians entered Britain after being forced out of their homes by the Ugandan director, General Idi Amin. These immigrants didn't have a choice, they had to pick up their lives and be scattered around the world, David Hurn documented this. Colin Jones is another photographer I look at, he created a project called the Black House that looked at the lives of Afro-Caribbean's in London. The Black House was a home for those that had issues with education and crime, the government supported them and created a safe environment during a difficult time where discrimination was common against black people. In chapter three I wanted to conclude the dissertation by focusing on the British citizens who were born and raised in Britain as it creates a different perspective to immigration. Martin Parr is a photographer who documents British Culture by photographing British and English people in their normal environment, he also goes around the country interviewing and filming people. He asks questions about what it means to be British and in his project; Think of England he comes across people who talk about immigration and the culture in Britain. In this dissertation I am going back in history trying to find out how britain has gained rich culture through immigration.
In the first chapter of my dissertation I go back to 1946; the end of World War two and the start of large groups of immigrants coming into Britain from the Caribbean's. The conditions were poor after the war; borken and old buildings, food was rationed, clothing was expensive and people started to move away. As a result there were work sortages so they brought refugees from Europe and south America. George Rodger is a photographer I look at as he documented immigrants arriving into London. Chapter two is based around the 70s, a large group of 28,000 African Asians entered Britain after being forced out of their homes by the Ugandan director, General Idi Amin. These immigrants didn't have a choice, they had to pick up their lives and be scattered around the world, David Hurn documented this. Colin Jones is another photographer I look at, he created a project called the Black House that looked at the lives of Afro-Caribbean's in London. The Black House was a home for those that had issues with education and crime, the government supported them and created a safe environment during a difficult time where discrimination was common against black people. In chapter three I wanted to conclude the dissertation by focusing on the British citizens who were born and raised in Britain as it creates a different perspective to immigration. Martin Parr is a photographer who documents British Culture by photographing British and English people in their normal environment, he also goes around the country interviewing and filming people. He asks questions about what it means to be British and in his project; Think of England he comes across people who talk about immigration and the culture in Britain. In this dissertation I am going back in history trying to find out how britain has gained rich culture through immigration.
Chapter 1After the Second World War thousands of refugees from Europe and the Caribbean came over to the UK as there where work shortages. On the 22nd June 1948, The SS Empire Windrush arrived in London with 482 migrants; the Jamaicans had fought during WWII and the Caribbean men and women just wanted to start life in Britain. The arrival of immigrants from culture oriented countries marked an important moment in British history as the society changed after this. People wanted to improve their life styles, find jobs and make a home in Britain, by the late 1950s people started to make an impact and form connections with others of the same backgrounds and ethnic traditions which caused a devision with British citizens. As well as this, employment and housing started to cause problems with the British. Getting a well payed job was hard, British citizens felt as though immigrants didn't have the right to come into their country and take their jobs and homes this caused a rise in racial conflicts and discrimination.
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Photographers documented the arrival of immigrants and their new lives. (Fig.1) The photographer has composed this image in a way that shows the atmosphere of the scene. The angle and close up image of the crowd of people gives an allusion that there are many immigrants filling a large space. They are standing up against a metal barrier, looking in different directions, waiting and anticipating for something to happen. It looks as though they are being rained in like animals and it's clear that there is a loud and chaotic atmosphere. The man in the foreground is more at ease, he is directly looking into the camera and it gives the photograph a narrative. These immigrants have come to live in Britain, hoping to find a better life. He seems relieved but also anxious as they don't know what to expect. I feel the barrier in front of the crowd symbolises the hurdles they had to go over to reach this point in their lives and they are now crossing into a different country with different morals, traditions, and culture. It also gives a reminder that immigrants coming into Britain won't always be welcomed by the British society, they will feel invaded as people are coming in, taking their jobs, homes and changing the way British people live.
(Fig.2) The Immigrants in this photograph don't show as much excitement as the first image. The family are standing together with no other Caribbean immigrants except white people. The man in the foreground has a uniform on and a hat which shows that he must work at the station and he is suppose to help and welcome the family. However, he has his arms on his hips, his back turned to the family and his face shows that he isn't interested in helping or greeting them into his country. The boys expression draws me to the photo as he looks upset and angry at his parents as if he doesn't want to be there. His reaction represents the emotions of other immigrants in Britain. They where segregated from the white society and they had to deal with being different for the first time. (Fig.3) clarifies that there was a clear division between the white population and the coloured immigrants. In contrast to (Fig.2) where the white man has his back to the black immigrants, (Fig.3) shows two black men standing in-front of the sign 'Keep Britain White' with their backs to it. They are talking in a casual way and they don't seem bothered by the sign, this might be because it was common to see racial remarks around the city and they where not surprised by it. There is a high contrast between the dark black and bright white tones: the white sign and dark sections of the wall, as well as the dark black trousers, hats, skin tone and white blazer. This contributes to the devision of coloured and white people. In 1953 the number of black immigrants coming into Britain was about 3,000 a year. Finding accommodation and jobs was difficult for coloured people and these issues where explored in the media. As seen in this video; investigations where done on employers in the country and they would admit that they where happy to employ black people however, they didn't want them seen by the public. Jack Howard-Drake (Home Office 1965-72) explained "...shoppers didn't want coloured hands touching their food... didn't want to buy underwear form coloured girls." People understood that coming to Britain would give them more opportunities, however employment was difficult due to economic situations. The coloured population would always be second choice, this was especially seen in the fashion and media industry. Modelling was a challenging business for black models as there were very few of them. Drum magazine was Africa's first lifestyle magazine and James Barnor, a Ghanian photographer, did covers for it against London backdrops. Erlin Ibreck was one of the main models for Barnor and she had experienced a lot of rejection due to her skin colour, she explains "...When they discovered that I was black, De Beers cancelled the booking and chose a white model. That booking would have enhanced my career, so it was a very painful experience to have been rejected on the basis of my colour. This experience made me realise what I was up against." Photographers also experienced racial discrimination but Barnor admits he never had that many issues, "I did not have to put up with most of what other black people had to go through, though I did notice when I sat on a bus many people didn't want to sit next to me." (article by Kate Salter 07/12/10) Barnor's aim was to produce photographs that interested the readers and himself. The fact that they where of young African women surrounded by British culture was not intended, but it attracted the viewers and they responded well to it as London was becoming a multicultural city. |
James Barnor documented the glamourous style of the 60s: pastel coloured dresses, heavy fringe, beehive hairstyle and jewellery with coloured fashion models which showed how London was becoming more integrated. (Fig.4) This photograph was taken in Kilburn, North London and it has a simple composition: the background is blurred with English parked cars on the street and the model is casually resting on a Jaguar. This drags the viewers attention to the model and what she is wearing. (Fig.5) This image has more British symbols and refrences: there is the underground sign in the background, there are pigeons around the model and also on her arms, as well as white women dressed in similar clothing in the background. There is an interaction between the model and her surroundings which mirrors the mixing of immigrants and non British groups to the British society in the 60s however, it also shows that there is still conflict and tension. The white people in the background have their backs against the black model with no interest in whats going on at the scene, this relates back to the image (Fig.2) of the Afro-Caribbeans waiting at Waterloo station with the worker standing with his back to them. James Barnor has still captured a young, free, exciting and happy atmosphere which is similar to some peoples attitudes about the changes London was going through during the 60s and early 70s.
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(Fig.6) 'Pro-Enoch Powell Graffiti' is a photograph that was published in the Evening Standard newspaper on 1st May 1968. The white graffiti 'POWELL For P.M!!' is in support of Enoch Powell, he was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West and campaigned for the reduction of migration to Britain. He is known for his "Rivers of Blood" speech made on 20th april 1968, which created political confrontation and it resulted in Powell being fired form Parliament. In the speech he recalls a conversation he had with an Englishman who said to him, "In this country in 15 or 20 years' time the black man will have the whip hand over the white man."
Powell goes on to say that he can't hear this and not do anything about it, he continued "We must be mad, literally mad, as a nation to be permitting the annual inflow of some 50,000 dependants...It is like watching a nation busy engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre. So insane are we that we actually permit unmarried persons to immigrate..." People were shocked by the speech, The Times newspaper said that it was the first time a serious British politician directly announced his racial dislike for immigrants postwar history. The Conservative leader; Edward Heath publicly announced that it was "racialist in tone and liable to exacerbate racial tensions" and also spoke on Panorama and said "...I don't believe the great majority of the British people share Mr Powell's way of putting his views in his speech."
This photograph shows two sides; the British society supporting Powell's views (Graffiti) and the immigrants (Black man walking across). It is in black and white and has contrasting tones between the white and black on the brick wall which mirrors the two oppositions. The image is interesting to look at as it creates a statement, the black man in the foreground; dressed in a smart suit and hat has a strong poise as he walks across the graffiti. He has a stern expression, his hand is in a fist which shows irritation but he keeps going and doesn't let it effect him. This man represented the rest of the black community, immigrants stayed in Britain and didn't let speeches or prejudice comments affect them as they felt they had as much right to be living in Britain and calling their home as the British society. The government was concerned about immigration and they started to control the amount of people coming into Britain as they felt an intrusion but in the late 1960s the British society was starting to change it's views on immigrants. A few days after Powell's speech the new Labour Government's Race Relations Act 1968 was discussed in Parliament, as a result all migrants in Britain had equal rights and they made it illegal to refuse housing, employment or public services to people because of their skin colour or cultural background.
Reference to images and descriptions
http://www.magnumphotos.com
http://www.autograph-abp.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_Blood_speech
Powell goes on to say that he can't hear this and not do anything about it, he continued "We must be mad, literally mad, as a nation to be permitting the annual inflow of some 50,000 dependants...It is like watching a nation busy engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre. So insane are we that we actually permit unmarried persons to immigrate..." People were shocked by the speech, The Times newspaper said that it was the first time a serious British politician directly announced his racial dislike for immigrants postwar history. The Conservative leader; Edward Heath publicly announced that it was "racialist in tone and liable to exacerbate racial tensions" and also spoke on Panorama and said "...I don't believe the great majority of the British people share Mr Powell's way of putting his views in his speech."
This photograph shows two sides; the British society supporting Powell's views (Graffiti) and the immigrants (Black man walking across). It is in black and white and has contrasting tones between the white and black on the brick wall which mirrors the two oppositions. The image is interesting to look at as it creates a statement, the black man in the foreground; dressed in a smart suit and hat has a strong poise as he walks across the graffiti. He has a stern expression, his hand is in a fist which shows irritation but he keeps going and doesn't let it effect him. This man represented the rest of the black community, immigrants stayed in Britain and didn't let speeches or prejudice comments affect them as they felt they had as much right to be living in Britain and calling their home as the British society. The government was concerned about immigration and they started to control the amount of people coming into Britain as they felt an intrusion but in the late 1960s the British society was starting to change it's views on immigrants. A few days after Powell's speech the new Labour Government's Race Relations Act 1968 was discussed in Parliament, as a result all migrants in Britain had equal rights and they made it illegal to refuse housing, employment or public services to people because of their skin colour or cultural background.
Reference to images and descriptions
http://www.magnumphotos.com
http://www.autograph-abp.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_Blood_speech
Chapter 2
Early in the 1970s, the government started to increase the restrictions and regulations for non-white people migrating into Britain. They numbered at 1.4 million which was a large increase from the 40s where coloured residents where in the low thousands. In 1972 Britain witnessed the most notable immigration of the decade after the Ugandan director, General Idi Amin exiled 80,000 African Asians from the country. The majority of the people had British passports; the Uk allowed 28,000 to enter the country over 2 months and those who didn't went to Canada, America and India.
David Hurn is a photographer who documented the migration of African Asians from Uganda. The images create a narrative as they show the transition the immigrants went through getting of the plane, waiting in the airport and finding new homes to settle in. (Fig. 7) Shows a large crowd of people walking off the plane, they are carrying a number of bags in both hands including young children, the man in the foreground looks tired and worried as he is responsible for the safety of his family. These immigrants arrived with no plan, no money and it's clear that they were not ready to pack up their lives and move; the clutter of stuff, open bags that look empty, and dishevelled appearances create an unsettling atmosphere which gives viewers an indication of the mixed emotions they must be going through. Similarly (Fig. 8) has a tight composition with a crowd of people everywhere which shows the chaotic atmosphere. Hurn's images of the immigrants from Uganda show a contrast between the black and white tones, this creates a balance as the photo's are busy with crowds of people, it also makes the images clearer to analyse and visualise as a whole piece. The image creates a sense of time, the young boy in the foreground looks bored and tired as he holds his face in his hand and looks down towards the ground. There is a tense and anticipating atmosphere; the boy with his father is on his knees, impatient as he looks towards the back, the women in the background are also staring intensely in the same direction, this creates ambiguity as the viewer is intrigued to find out what they are looking at or what they might be waiting for. David Hurn has cropped the image so that the woman's face in the foreground is not visible, her arms are crossed which indicated that she might be tired of waiting and that these immigrants are going through a long process.
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(Fig.7) In the corner of this image a photographer has a large camera and he is taking pictures of the immigrants arrival as they get of the plane. The African Asians would have felt exposed as a stressful time was being captured. However, some of the women in the photograph are smiling as they look into the camera, this was a new experience for them as they are moving into a more privileged and wealthy country. Ironically they are not aware that the British society doesn't want to welcome more immigrants and the response they get might not be very positive.
This image (Fig.9) shows two mothers with their children coming out of a house. The women in the background is holding her baby, her bag and the bottle trying to juggle everything together. In contrast to the other two photographers there is a more calm atmosphere to it, this is due to the expressions on the two women, they seem more hopeful as they settle into a new life. The children however, seem uncomfortable and annoyed as it's difficult for children to settle into a new life where they are not surrounded by things they know and feel comfortable with. It takes a longer period of time for them to adapt and fit in with the British people and culture. The girl in the background is shy and hides behind the women, she might of felt threatened and intruded upon by the photographer as it's not the 'norm' for strangers to take pictures of you.
Reference to David Hurn Images and Descriptions http://www.magnumphotos.com/ (Fig.10) The crowd of white citizens in the photo are holding up signs with bold words in black: 'No MORE ASIANS.' Most of the people are elderly with one child in the foreground who is innocent and unaware of what's going on except what his family tells him. In the foreground the women seem amused and intrigued by whats going on around them which contrasts with the angry messages they are holding up 'CLEAR THE GHETTO'S AND CLEAN...VERMIN'. There was a recession and people in Britain found it difficult to find jobs as unemployment was rising, there was an increase in the price of goods and in 1973 a three-day week was introduced as the nation was scared of power shortages. The white citizens felt scared by the changes in Britain and the black people where blamed for the difficulties the country was going through. Protesting was a way white people could show their anger and frustration for the change in their country, even though many immigrants became British Citizens, they were not welcomed in and treated with equal respect as the white society. Reference to (Fig.10) http://www.corbisimages.com/Search#mlt=HU007867&mla=10041368&s=200&p=1 |
Forty years later, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown has written an article 'Starting Over' showing her experience of migrating into Britain and how other Ugandan people dealt with the move. She came to London in 1972, and had a place at Oxford but never knew if she would ever go back to her birthplace. The Ugandan Asians left behind their lives and some didn't cope with the new life style in Britain, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown's father-in-law passed away as he couldn't deal with the different food and environment; 'I tried to feed him he turned away...didn't taste like food in Uganda.' This creates a different perspective as the British society didn't understand that not all the immigrants from Uganda were happy to come to Britain. They were pushed out of their comfort zone where they had friends, family and a normal life. However, they needed to cope and be strong enough to deal with the conflict and discrimination they received from British citizens, a 15 year old boy explains: “I was not doing O-levels, dancing and smoking, but learning accounts and worrying like an old man. Those years are gone, will never come back. I remember people holding racist placards when we came out of the airport. But we did it, we showed Amin and Enoch Powell.”
Starting over By Yasmin Alibhai-BrownAugust 24, 2012 7:02 pm
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/fd23a2ca-ecb0-11e1-81f4-00144feab49a.html#axzz2Cr0t4IKQ
Starting over By Yasmin Alibhai-BrownAugust 24, 2012 7:02 pm
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/fd23a2ca-ecb0-11e1-81f4-00144feab49a.html#axzz2Cr0t4IKQ
There was a vast number of unwanted immigrants in Britain in the 70's, when Colin Johns; a photojournalist, was asked to create a piece on mugging by Sunday Times Magazine, he looked for areas in London with Afro-Caribbean's. They found a hostel on Holloway Road in Islington which had people who came from another house organised by Michael X and called the the project The Black House when it was finished. These homes were funded by the government and aimed to created rehabilitation and support for young people who went through prejudice and had issues with employment, education or crime.
(Fig. 13) This photograph shows a group of men who are posing but in their normal manner, some look frustrated and bored, while other look relaxed. When looking into the image there is a sense of tension and awkwardness, they look as though they are being judged, this is shown in their facial expressions and body language - legs up, slouching with hands on their faces. 'I didn't take pictures all the time because sometimes I use to go there and as I went through the door you can feel the tension in there there was something wrong and the last thing i wanted to do was upset them...' Colin Jones These black immigrants were anti-white; the police accused them of crimes they didn't commit and went as far as planting illegal drugs in their homes. (Fig.14) shows a man who was repeatedly beaten by the police and ended up in hospital, handcuffed to the bed. The close up shot focuses on his injured hand, bruised face and facial expression which shows his pain. The woman looking out the window is his girlfriend; she looks worried, in deep thought and annoyed as black people in her community went through the same thing and she probably knows that it will continue to happen.
There was, however one officer who had been to Jamaica and had a different opinion of these immigrants (Fig.15) He decided to stop raiding their home and accusing them of other peoples crimes. This was also partly due to the scrutiny and discrimination they were getting from the public. The men are all dressed well but they are surrounded by large garbage bins - which some are sitting on, there is also an old house or building in the background. This all adds to the type of area they might be in and gives an insight to the conditions the young people lived in. They smoked a lot of ganja, drank, took drugs, went clubbing till early hours, had sexual activities with each other and gambled for fun and small amounts of money. The people could relate to each other as they went through the same experiences and they all look like strong individuals with a connection between them. I like the way the have been captured on a simple background, other photographs from this series have also been done on simple brick wall backgrounds, besides this, the strong contrast in tone in the photos creates a strong image as you focus more on the individuals in front of you and from the people you can analyse what might be going on around them.
By choosing to do the project, The Black House, Colin Jones created a new perception of black people in Britain. He showed that they are ordinary people who have come to a country with new culture, expectations of how they should behave and live their lives and they should be given the opportunity to be treated with equal rights as white citizens.
'Over the four years of my visiting the Black House, the reality of what I had been doing was only made clear to me on the opening night of the exhibition, when I was asked: "Which part of America did you take these photographs?" "Holloway Road, about three miles from where we were both standing." I now realise that it could have been anywhere in the world where a small community is threateded and afraid...' - Colin Jones Reference to Colin Jones - Black House http://www.autograph-abp.co.uk http://multimedia.autograph-abp.co.uk/video/38452917 |
Colin John said it took him six months to get into the house which was previously a butchers shop. He explains: 'It was a shock. Tables and chairs were broken, and there were boards on the windows. A lot of the destruction was from the kids. They acted out of frustration because they were constantly under scrutiny from the police...'
Michael Herman was in the Black House and helped everyone in the house to read and write english so that they would have better opportunities and knowledge. In (Fig.16) there are a group of people outside, Colin Jones noticed that the women took their education and future more seriously than the men. The women are all concentrating hard, trying to balance their womanly roles in the house, taking care of their children and learning at the same time. The man lying on the brick wall looks relaxed with his shirt open, looking at the page the woman in writing on over his shoulder and he seems careless. As seen in (Fig.17) the women are sitting in front of type writers as most of them took courses so that they could become secretaries. One girl in the Black House was more interested in beauty and fashion as she wanted to be a model. Herman put her in the christmas shows they had every year and in (Fig.18) she poses in a model like manner with a big hair style and full makeup on.
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Chapter 3
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Parr's photographs are sometimes comical and entertaining to look at even though he documents the day to day routines and events of others that would usually seem ordinary and dull. His images include various symbols, signs and people that represent Britain and they are composed in such a way that makes our body language, behaviors and personalities seem interesting to analyse and look at. They are also against unexpected backgrounds that work in a contrasting way together to create an interesting image. As seen in (Fig. 23) the bright British flags in the foreground are eye catching and they cover a woman's face who is sitting in a fair. It creates an intriguing and ambiguous composition as it makes the viewer eager to know what the woman looks like, and create a story or perception about who she is and what she is doing there. Think of England is a project Martin Parr put together to show the confusion he had about England; “I’m torn when I think about England...My feelings about Britain are a mixture of affection and concern. I’m trying to express that ambiguity." (Telegraph 17 Apr 2004)
It takes place in the charity shop, seaside resorts, fairs, and Ascot with people eating sandwiches, baked beans, chips, bacon and drinking alcohol and cups of tea. (Fig. 23, 24, 25) These images all have a sense of British culture, (Fig.24) is of a fair and it shows two birds picking at left over chips and there are flags flying in the background. Traditional foods are a big part of British traditions, (Fig. 25) shows a man dressed in a casual way with two gold rings on his hand with a British symbol engraved on top, he is eating baked beans and chips together in a takeaway case; a combination which is not very common outside Britain. Image in (Fig. 26) shows a man eating a bacon sandwich, he struggles as it's difficult to get rid of the fat in bacon with your teeth. The image is sickening, however Parr sees this in a different way. The bacon represent Britishness, it is a reminder of something we are all part of and this relates back to the other images with traditional British food. Parr visited Ascot more than once and documented the traditional British event where the upper middle class and some working class citizens went dressed in posh hats, dresses, gloves and suits (Fig.27, 28). There is a light and relaxed atmosphere in the photographs as people came together; drank champagne, wine and ate sandwiches.
(Fig.29) is another image in Ascot, the main figure in the image is the black woman dressed in dark colours standing next to the white woman in a white hat and light blue clothing. This is unusual as Parr's project on Think of England doesn't include a lot of black subjects. People who come to these events are proud British citizens and to see a black person in the photo represents a shift in society, black people started to integrate with white people and it shows that they are of the same status or even at a higher status. This reminds me of Enoch Powell's speech where he talks about a conversation he had with an Englishman who said "In this country in 15 or 20 years' time the black man will have the whip hand over the white man." (Chapter 1) Parr is presenting a statement with this image, the black woman takes over the photo with her superior posture, she looks strong, independent, confident and the close up shot and the way Parr has cropped the image shows this.
As part of the project Martin Parr travelled and interviewed people around the country. He asked them what the characteristics of English people were, what does it mean to be English or British and other questions about their daily lives. The topic of immigration and immigrants living came up in some of the videos. In the video below Parr asked the woman about England, she said it was a lovely country with happy people who "except everyone...their faults, what they are, who they are and that's why we open all the doors for the immigrants and find a home for them." She was positive about people coming to England and that it was becoming a multicultural country. When asked if she thought it was a racist place, the woman thought that over time it has become less prejudice against immigrants and coloured people however, some individuals still believe they don't belong in England. In another interview, an elderly man explained how he had never travelled abroad since he fought in the war, he is proud of his country and believes that it is better than any where else in the world "all the beautiful things in the world are here in England...all you got is filth abroad..." He thought that England was changing and getting better, however he goes on to say, "blacks...we're feeding too many of them in the country..." he thinks that some of them should be sent back to their countries and refers to Enoch Powell (Conservative Member of Parliament), "Enoch Powell said send them all back...thats what they should do send them all back why shouldn't they..." There will always be mixed views on immigration and to this day, some people will not accept migration and in contrast to the elderly man's views, the women feels the majority of the public have changed "you open our arms and let them in there is always room..." |
My aim in this chapter was to show what British traditions were and how this was starting to change due to immigration and the variety of other cultures that were coming into Britain. People who immigrated to Britain experienced a lot of problems as white citizens were not open to welcoming others who had different appearances, cultures, traditions, and ways of living. As time went on this changed, the variety of cultures integrated with each other and people became more accepting. As seen in the video by Parr some people will never change their views on immigration and black people however, the majority have evolved to accept new people coming into Britain, this has resulted in a mixture of ethnic groups and cultures being part of new English Traditions. London has evolved and in my opinion British culture now is different to how it was 60 years ago as the mix of new ethnicities has created a different type of culture in Britain. It will continue to do so as the intermixing of different backgrounds will continue over time.
References:
Magnum - http://www.magnumphotos.com
Youtube - Think of England Martin Parr
http://www.martinparr.com/index1.html
Magnum - http://www.magnumphotos.com
Youtube - Think of England Martin Parr
http://www.martinparr.com/index1.html