W̶e̶ ̶W̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶W̶a̶l̶k̶ We Will Fly (2020)

stick up by Swan Nemesis This work first appeared in public on 7 May 2020 as a performative fly-posting at various sites in Margate, England

A reaction to the cold ‘branding’ messages coming from the UK government telling the country to “Stay At Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives” and more importantly in response to personal pain relating to the disproportionate number of deaths from Black and Brown communities; and a climate of blame put onto these same communities through racist rhetoric from politicians and the media.

At the core of this work is a message of affirmation that stems from the phrase “Stay Black” as used in Ebonics, meaning ‘to stay true to the culture without compromise’ A deeper reading calling for us as Brown and Black people to not only STAY BREATHING and STAY ALIVE during a global pandemic but to also keep fighting to STAY BLACK, STAY BROWN, STAY WOKE, STAY HOMIE.

Through a series of artistic interventions during the initial lockdown, I pasted posters around Margate, also offering them to people from the Black and Brown communities together with a set of postcards; creating a space for engaging on the street, at protests and at marches. I documented each interaction through a photo to capture the offering, followed by a video or audio recording of our conversations and debate, creating some much needed warmth, laughter and human connection.

Sadly these posters took on an even deeper meaning following the global response to the murder of George Floyd. Seen during the first big march from Trafalgar Square and later marches, protests and interventions around the country as the uprisings grew in size and strength over the summer of 2020.

In Margate and Newlyn Exchange, Cornwall, where they were exhibited, the posters became mirrors, their vandalisation became part of the work, reflecting that which is trying to hide in plain sight. The violence with which they were slashed and torn, some with stickers covering the words 'Brown’ and ‘Black’ only goes to highlight the problems and systematic erasure we continue to face everyday.