Final Concept with MoodBoards….
For my final concept I decided to create a narrative based on the life of a fictional character that experiences racial hatred and discrimination throughout their entire life.
The final concept tells the story of ‘Amoy, a young black girl born to Jamaican parents, Trevor and Doreen. Amoy’s parents originally moved from Jamaica to the Uk (Birmingham) in the late 1960s as they strived for a better life, in the country whose roads were paved in gold. Doreen fell pregnant in September 1974 and would later give birth to little Amoy on April 26th1975.
Amoy was a happy child; her home life was filled with love, joy and laughter. Her parents worked hard and always tried their best to teach their daughter how to always do the right thing in life, even if she felt like the outcome wasn’t fair. They knew of the struggles that existed outside the comfort of their little haven and would spend time trying to prepare their little girl for what was yet to come. Amoy would only really experience the harsh realities of the world when she started school in 1981.
To show specific events in Amoy’s life I decided to split the gallery space into 6 areas; consisting of 5 stages and one visual post (area 6).
The main section (area 1) would host the Benjamin Zephaniah typewriter, which would type the narrative live with a supporting voiceover. Information about the typewriter and its origin would be located just outside the gallery to give it context so that the audience could read about it before they are welcomed in.
The audience would be invited to view 4 key moments in Amoy’s life that represent and ultimately steer the direction and choices she would later make. I decided to capture each moment through collage.
Playground setting - The innocence of a child – 1981 (Age 5)
Amoy attends a predominantly white school. Very few kids look like her.
The audience will gather round and view footage of conversations between children based on racial hatred. Examples of content “My mom said I can’t play with you because you don’t look like me”, “My daddy said that all colored people are monkeys”, “My grandad use to own your grandad” etc.……
The screen would then go blank and a projection of a school classroom would take its place. The stage area will light up and the audience will see a school playground setting with a figure of Amoy stood crying. Audio of kids playing and Amoy’s thoughts at that time would play (similar to monologue without the actor).
It’s the end of the academic year and Amoy has finally left school with good grades. Her overall opinion of school isn’t great. She always tried her best and always submitted her work on time but unfortunately found that she was having to defend herself constantly as she was consistently singled out for petty reasons. Her teachers didn’t like her but she knew that in order to get through school, she had to keep her head down. This discrimination against her ultimately led to her meeting more kids like herself. They were labelled ‘The colored kids’ aka ‘The trouble makers. The Den is a place where Amoy and her friends would go and hang out when they wanted to forget about the harsh realities of the world. It was a place where they would go to chill and vent and just be themselves.
The audience will gather round and view footage of conversations between Amoy and her peers as they talk about their experiences in and outside of school. The screen will go blank and will be replaced with a projection of nature/trees, so that it looks as though they are in a secret den. The stage area will light up to reveal the inside of the den with a seated figure of Amoy. Audio of her thoughts in that moment will play.
The Stephen Laurence Inquiry Protests – 1998 (Age 23)
2 years after Amoy left school came the unfortunate death of teenager Stephen Lawrence in April 1993, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack, whilst waiting for a bus. The black community were absolutely outraged with how the police handled the situation. Amoy and her friends were equally disgusted and disturbed. At this point they are really fed up with the prejudices, discrimination and injustices of the world. They just wanted to be treated equally for once. They decide to travel to London to attend the protests as they seek justice for a fellow peer; and to ultimately see some positive change to police systems.
The audience will gather round to view footage from the protests. The screen will go blank and will be replaced with a projection of crowds from the protests. The stage area will light up and the audience will see a figure of Amoy protesting. Audio of her thoughts will play in that moment along with the sounds of busy crowds.
Case of mistaken identity – 2000 (Age 25)
Its 2 years since the protests, Amoy is out celebrating a friend’s birthday. An altercation breaks out between two females who are not associated with the celebrations, which escalates quickly. The police are called because a member of the public claims to have seen a weapon. Sirens are heard and a loud bang follows.
The audience gather round for the final scene. They view footage of Amoy and her friends celebrating and watch as the altercation between the two unknown females escalate. When the sirens are heard, the crowd of people disperse and that’s when the ‘bang is heard. The screen goes black, then the stage lights slowly come up to reveal a slumped figure of Amoy on the floor. Flashing emergency services lights illuminate the set. Audio of her thoughts and sad music will play as the life drains from her body.
I wanted to get the audience to experience the same emotions many families go through in the BAME community. Too many young lives are lost in unjust ways. Too many BAME lives are lost for unjust reasons. Real positive change can only happen when people wake up and unite. The fight isn’t for war … The fight is for Equality
