In Search of 'Other Londons': A Bend in the River by Caryl Phillips and Johny Pitts

This article focuses on two recent representations of postcolonial London, namely the essay “A Bend in the River” (2013) by Caryl Phillips and his collaboration with photographer Johny Pitts on the multimedia slideshow A Bend in the River (2012). Both works hybridize traditional notions of London purported in 20th-century London fictions, which tend to concentrate on the city’s iconic centre without mentioning its history of religious and (neo-)colonial exploitation. The analysis explores how spoken texts, photographs and sound recordings interact in the slideshow and scrutinizes the crucial role that intertextual references to Conrad, Eliot and Selvon play in both works, marking a resistance to historical preconceptions. Finally, a discussion of symbolic, imaginary and documentary dimensions of space will show how the use of different expressive media brings the multi-layered experience of being Black in London to the fore.

Trefwoorden:postcolonial Lonon, multiculturalism, black Britain, intermediality, representation of space

Toegankelijkheid:Open