MIND THE GAP POETRY WALK
29 JUNE 2023
PART OF HIVE CURATE’S ALICE BILLINGS CONNECTS PROGRAMME (2023)
On a June evening in 2023, Curmiah Lisette of Tropical Theatre took participants of a poetry walk on a journey through Newhams heritage and history looking at the timeline and development of the local area, focusing on the Windrush 75th anniversary.
Participants were encouraged to respond to writing prompts as they walked the journey and finally collate the writing and ideas into a structured piece of art to share through a brief introduction to Curmiah Lisette’s performance tools.
By looking at Newham’s present climate in dialogue with history, the aim here was to learn, write and converse, reflecting on Newham’s relationship with the world and celebrating its rich cultural diversity.
Participants wrote while taking a look at Newham’s past: the importance of architectural foundation in communities; Newham’s future: looking at Newham’s social climate and cultural development over time; and Newham’s present: giving attention to the contributions of the Windrush generation to the area, and participant journeys/histories by mapping our poems on canvas totes and sharing our writing.
This workshop considered the symbolism of the architecture in Stratford Centre and its surrounding area, as well as the effects of geography and trade on the culture and landscape of Newham through discussion of the foods, fabrics, spoken languages and ethnic customs.
