Analysis and Commentary: two films commissioned for the exhibition 'the West Indian front room: memories and impressions of black British homes'

The theme of The West Indian Front Room was the living memory of the homes in the UK created by post WW2 immigrants coming from the Caribbean since 1960. Particular attention was paid to the choice of objects in the front room, their arrangement and what might be concluded about personal identity with regard to, for example, a plastic pineapple shaped ice bucket or a glass tropical fish.

The first of the films 'Analysis' was interview-based and focused on the recollections and interpretations of the West Indian front room by prominent members of the Black Community including Stuart Hall, Dianne Abbott MP and Carol Tulloch (curator of Black British Style, 2004).

The second film 'Commentary' was in a different register and explored the memories of living in such rooms by 1960s Caribbean immigrants.

The research developed into a broad debate around issues of coloniser and colonised, immigrant and host culture and the complex considerations of class, gender and race.

Joel Karamath

Research fields
Film
Popular culture
Current Research
My research has been conducted within the realm of film and popular culture (written and film work).