sonia e barrett London, United Kingdom
I started working with black communities in the beginning because I felt that when members of the black community were engaged in my work, I could claim the title of visual artist. I see my work as an intervention into spaces of intergenerational wealth created by triangular trade. I also see the work as claiming and occupying space that is raced white for people of colour.
I have a listening practice I listen to things that are considered to be dumb: chairs, maps, hair and rocks. The work ensues in partnership with the “dumb thing” I serve “it”. Most recently, I have involved groups of people in creating spaces of alternate listening where it is possible for all of us to listen together in ways we don’t usually hear. I bring geological time and more than human perspectives to bear on issues such as the British Empire, industrial pollution and property.
