WINDRUSH: MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE

A design proposal in collaboration with Phoenix Dance Theatre. Exhibited at The Royal National Theatre as part of The Linbury Prize Exhibition 2017.

Windrush: Movement of the People depicts the arrival and history of the first wave of Caribbean migrants coming to the UK.
Through the design for this production, the aim was to portray the transitory experience of moving and being uprooted, while also exploring the personal and communal development of the multicultural community through a gestural vision.
The set design is at its core minimalist, but as the performance progresses the scene is gradually populated with objects, illustrating the intricate process of integration.
The perforated structures and undulating surfaces allude to both hidden and visible barriers, and implicitly refer towards the structural exclusion suffered by the newcomers.
Projections develop the surface and texture of the set dynamically, and portray the plurality of the many neighbourhoods the migrants adopted.
Together with the shifting projected collages, the costumes transition in colour and expression, supporting the narrative while echoing the cultural development in the second half of the 20th century.
The design process balanced the unique circumstances of The Windrush Generation, but also aimed at reflecting the universality of the migrant/immigrant experience.
The design is purposefully light, modular, and easily adaptable to various venues.