MEMORIE(AST) BY NAZ FROM NEWHAM

Naz from Newham is a writer, curator and artist who lives and works in Newham. As well as a published features on many platforms including NME, Clash, Trench and Complex UK, Naz is an artist who is passionate about Newham and wants to preserve the voices and faces of everyday East Londoners in a period of rapid change, by celebrating the memories that define the area.

With this in mind, in November 2024, Naz went out into Newham to embark on short style interviews with local trailblazers and unsung heroes within the community using the prompt ‘what is your favourite memory of Newham’. The aim was to collect images and the lived experiences of people, documenting the unique perspectives of a broad range of individuals

Naz named this endeavour ‘MemoriE(ast)’. The polaroid portraits and audio excerpts will be included in the digital archive (launching later in January 2025) with the portraits being featured on Grow Hackney’s Mezz Gallery from Monday 28th January to Sun 23rd February, with an opening event on Tuesday 28th January called Speculative Re Memory.

Naz Said:

“I’ve wanted to conduct a project like this for a while so being given the space to do has been rewarding”

The archive project is led by artist and programme facilitator, Sandra Falase, part of an engagement programme run by Grow Studios at Alice Billing House in Stratford, supported by the Creative Land Trust and Heritage Lottery Fund.