Reviewed by: Caroline Molloy
Revival: London 1989-1993 sees the publication of Roy Mehta’s photographic documentation of Brent, north-west London, which is commonly referred to as the most culturally diverse borough of London. In this book we see a slice of community life. This includes square format black and white photographs, mostly portraits, that document the converging Afro-Caribbean and Irish communities within the borough.
We can see the performance of secular and formalised rituals captured in places of worship, community dance halls, on the streets, in the pubs and in family homes. There are personal moments of intimacy on the dance floor and gestures of tenderness at the family table. Originally made when Mehta was a student at Farnham Art College (now UCA Farnham), this work draws from his archive of photographs that document his local neighbourhood. As reminded by Lucy Lippard in her (1997) book The Lure of the Local, there is a whole world within our own neighbourhood which is all too frequently overlooked. . In Mehta’s photographs we are able to witness everyday practices through which meaning is made; such as the drummer girls in their kilts and berets parading through the suburbs as onlookers watch, the priest in prayer and the barbers busy at work. In presenting these photographs, we see how belonging is enacted within the neighbourhood and community is built.
There is a formal approach to Mehta’s documentation of Brent that historically anchors the work to a specific historical moment. The sequencing of the book follows a non-linear narrative that engages us at the centre of a multicultural society and subsequently allows us to immerse ourselves in the essence of place. However, what is slightly frustrating for the reader is the sense that this work is only the tip of a much larger archive that is yet to revealed. Nevertheless, what is interesting about viewing these photographs re-positioned in the twenty-first century is that they have transcended from what was a straight-forward documentation of the local neighbourhood to become an important visual document that records the socio-cultural history of this area. Within this context it would be interesting to activate these photographs and make them audible, and in doing so give voice to participants within the local community.
This is a timely publication that coincides with Brent being named London borough of culture, and against the backdrop of Black Lives Matters activism, which calls for social, economic and political change, it reminds us of the enduring multicultural inheritance of London. Alongside of Mehta’s photographs, the book contains a forward from Dr Mark Sealy, director of Autograph and principle fellow of decolonising photography at University of Arts London which frames the political context of the work, and an introductory essay from to the work from playwright Caryl Phillips.
_________
For further viewing:
Revival: London 1989–1993. Photography by Roy Mehta. Introduction by Caryl Phillips was published by Hoxton Mini Press. In addition to the publication, the Mehta’s photographs are due to be exhibited in Brent, at Willesden Library in 2022.
