Enfield: Generations combine for People's Story project

Age Exchange, the leading UK charity working in reminiscence arts, marks the end of ‘The People’s Story’, a major intergenerational project.

‘The People’s Portrait’ film installation opens at Arch 402 in Hoxton on the 25th November. This will be followed by a premiere film screening at BFI Southbank on 5th December of ‘The People’s Story’ a unique film documentary recording the participants experience of the 18 month project.

The People’s Story documentary will be screened at BFI Southank. It records the process of a unique 18 month intergenerational project that has involved diverse communities across Enfield and Edmonton. The film illustrates how reminiscence, drama and film making can bring together different individuals and communities to work collaboratively through creative arts to tell their story, and the story of their community.

The People's Story is a documentary set in Enfield, a London Borough suffering from high levels of deprivation and unemployment, which has been undergoing significant and dramatic regeneration. With a central theme of migration - whether free, economic or enforced - the film illustrates how reminiscence and drama can bring communities together and create a story of a place.

The project is centred on Enfield Island Village, renowned for the famous Royal Small Arms Factory and Edmonton Green, an area steeped in cultural heritage. The filmmakers worked with groups including Enfield Island Youth & Community Trust, KATRE (Kurdish and Turkish Residents of Enfield), Oasis Trust, Edmonton high School and Oasis Academy, Edmonton College (who provide ESOL classes), Northside Youth – who work with young people with disabilities, Oasis Church groups and the North London Neighborhood Community Board. The People's Story is a film by Ivan Riches commissioned by David Savill, Artistic Director, Age Exchange.

Film maker Ivan Riches said “This film tells the story of how an organisation with an ambitious arts project works across separate generations, with two separate communities, one of them geographically isolated from its local surroundings. What is unique about this film is in how it shows funders and partners taking an extraordinary interest in the project, where experimentation and bravery of approach are more important to them than projected targets and results.”

Andrew Barnett, Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK said: “The People’s Story – one of 18 Intergenerational projects we are piloting in the UK and Portugal – is an ambitious initiative which has brought diverse and disparate communities together through shared storytelling, building a sense of belonging and connection in a place of flux. Much of this has been achieved through the creation of cross generational friendships among the many participants which has enabled them to feel a valued part of the history of Enfield and Edmonton.”

John Joannou, Assistant Director of L&Q’s North neighbourhood said, “This is an exciting project offering residents from Enfield the opportunity to embrace their culture and share their experiences with others. The People's Story is all about bringing the old and young from different walks of life and cultures together to record their personal and community history which encourages creativity and community cohesion.L&Q is committed to investing in its communities through projects such as this which make a real difference to our residents.”

The People's Portrait, 25-27 November is a newly commissioned film installation by artist Simon Purins that tells - through their own voices - the story of people and place. Using dual-screen projection, it threads the stories and life experiences of the diverse populations of Edmonton and Enfield in North London to create 'dialogues' and patterns of interpretation and association between both the audience and the on-screen personalities.

Visually rich and immersive, it is at times funny, sad, hopeful and uplifting. With a central theme of migration - free, economic and enforced - it uses personal experiences that are universally relevant to 21st Century Britain. The installation is one of the final project outcomes from The People’s Story. The People’s Story project was created and directed by Age Exchange working with housing association L&Q, and supported by The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and The L&Q Foundation (L&Q’s community investment fund).