Film Screening - 17 January 2024 @ 6.30pm

Alberta Whittle: The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers

Alberta Whittle's film commission The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers is a multi-voiced portrayal of members of the Windrush Generation and their descendants with material sourced from the Hackney Archives.

In The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers, Whittle dissolves the notion of time and space, connecting different narratives, archival material and artworks through hurricanes, the sea and naval history. Together, these references to water play a central role with their symbolism and poignancy to Windrush migration. The dramatic and unsettling backdrop also sets the tone for her conversation with Hackney resident Janice Knight, whose legal battle for justice for the police brutality experienced by her family reflects on the state of uncertainty and precarity which continues to be felt by the Black community today.

This screening will be followed by an in-conversation event featuring Alberta Whittle in collaboration with the Crafted Selves exhibition curator, Cat Dunn, and Jillian Sutherland, Lecturer of Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of St Andrews.

Find more information on the film and the speakers here.

Running time: 1h 30m (52m screening followed by a post-screening Q&A)

Ages 12+

This film includes violence and themes of racism and grief which may be triggering.

More information on this event

Spring 2023/2024 Research Lectures

Autumn 2023/2024 Research Lectures