Journeys And Kinship

Is the face not currency enough? This display of face casts in the London, Sugar & Slavery gallery at the Museum of London Docklands responds to the irony that members of the African Diaspora must pay to visit sites from which their ancestors were transported into enslavement. A project between the visual artist Jean Joseph and a group of young Londoners working together with Caribbean Calypso musician, Alexander D Great, and Yvonne Wilson from Equi-Vison.

The display features Joseph’s work Sale Over Centuries, 2010 which consists of plaster face casts of 42 people from the African Diaspora who were born in and/or currently live in London. The casts promote discussion on the structure of faces and show how resemblances carry across generations and geographies.

In response to Joseph’s work the young Londoners explored issues of enslavement, London’s involvement and the African Diaspora. They then created a display which includes their own face casts and original music alongside film and photography documenting the project. This thought-provoking display raises issues around enslavement and life in modern London which remain relevant in today’s capital.