Beverley Bennett, ‘Simon Says/Dadda’

About

‘Simon Says/Dadda’ is a collaborative project exploring father/daughter relationships among Black and Asian women and non-binary individuals, highlighting the deep impact that structural inequalities have within wider society.

Working in partnership with Grand Union, Birmingham; Metal, Liverpool; LUX, London; and The NewBridge Project, Newcastle, ‘Simon Says/Dadda’ is an ambitious large-scale film project bringing to light stories that are currently not represented in the visual arts. Comprising three core parts, ‘Simon Says/Dadda’ brings together numerous elements; gatherings, testimonies, collaboration and community, of Beverley’s practice within the same body of work. Working over a longer period of time to allow for deeper connections and evolutions to manifest, the work has drawn together mediums that previously have been kept separate, to generate a whole. 

With a title referencing patrilineal relationships, ‘Simon’ is the artist’s father, and ‘Dadda’, the Grandfather on her Mother’s side; ‘Dadda’ is also used as a term in Patois (the Caribbean/Jamaican dialect) to reference ‘Father’. Looking at intergenerational legacy and father/daughter relationships. This iteration at LUX reflects on the artists’ personal story and her relationship with ‘Simon’.

The work has been developed since 2018 through a series of ‘gatherings’, a model the artist devised that differs from the more hierarchical model of the workshop with one person leading and sharing information with participants taking part in the activities. Instead ‘gatherings’ are cyclical, whereby everyone learns from each other and often formulate in myriad ways, from reading together to gathering at a party. This has created a ‘tapestry of voices’, an interweaving of communalities and differences that provide a broader view, an important part of amplifying intergenerational relationships. 

This exhibition is generously supported by Arts Council England, The Elephant Trust and Serpentine (Support Structures for Support Structures Fellowship Programme).

Auditory/Visual Access: We have hearing loops, a large print guide and magnifying glasses available in the space.

Beverley Bennett is an artist-filmmaker whose work revolves around the possibilities of drawing, performance and collaboration. Her practice provides spaces for participants to become collaborators and provides a point of focus from where to unpick ideas around what constitutes an art practice and for whom art is generated. Bennett’s work has been shown nationally and internationally; venues include the British Film Institute (BFI), London (2023); Birmingham 2022 Festival (2022); CinemaAfrica Film Festival, Stockholm (2018); Encounters Short Film Festival, Bristol (2017); Wysing Art Centre, Cambridgeshire (2017); Spike Island, Bristol (2017); New Art Exchange, Nottingham (2016); National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston (2016); Bluecoat, Liverpool (2010).