Human Stories: Another England

About

Created by Kaia Charles, Human Stories at NOW Gallery is a series of annual photographic displays that encourages a contemporary discourse on modern life and the human scale. By engaging with modern and progressive communities, artists, photographers, historians, filmmakers, writers and thinkers, Human Stories translates these messages into compelling visual displays. Another England, co-curated by Kaia and Tamsin Silvey from Historic England, weaves together common threads of love, life and social shifts in modern English history, presenting a series of new photographic commissions that reflect multicultural heritage for contemporary diversity.

Rich archival imagery from photo agencies including Getty Images, Magnum Photos and Autograph will give an insight into origins of diasporic migration, religion, home and working life, as well as unpicking embedded racism that many were exposed to in the last century. Rare and little before seen photography and ephemera have been made available exclusively to NOW Gallery through partnerships with collectors, archives and picture libraries. In addition, newly commissioned works will interrogate concepts of multiculturalism, intersectionality and a sense of place through the lens of emerging, contemporary photographers and arts collectives and new collectors.

“The provocation, ‘Another England’, signifies stories and images underrepresented in England’s collective history. Whilst celebrating multiculturalism, we aspire to provoke open and honest dialogue about the portrayal of Black and Asian heritage in this country over the last century” says Kaia Charles, Cultural Projects Manager of NOW Gallery and Greenwich Peninsula.

“We’re delighted to be working with NOW Gallery on Human Stories: Another England to showcase pictures that have been shared with us by people across the country, and tell us about the places where they lived, worked and socialised – and their experiences of England” says Tamsin Silvey, Programme Curator at Historic England.

Another England was launched by Historic England to map the past 100 years of the nation’s history from a Black and Asian perspective.  The collaboration with NOW Gallery on Greenwich Peninsula, a place with investigation and experience at its heart, continues this journey and provides a platform that allows these untold stories from history to be presented to the modern world.