Contemporary Echoes of the Subjugation of the Women of Essex

Chapter one of the three-part film, Othered in a region that has been historically Othered, 2022

 

4K digital video,  stereo sound

11:36 minutes (2:24 minutes excerpt)

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Edition of 3 and 1 AP

  

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Filmed in Mistley, Essex.

 

Chapter one opens in the woodlands surrounding Old Knobbley, an 800-year-old oak tree in Mistley, Essex. According to local folklore, the tree served as a sanctuary for women persecuted as witches during the 17th-century English Civil War. The chapter draws a line across temporal registers, juxtaposing these histories of persecution with the contemporary experiences of African asylum seekers and refugees living in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Their testimonies are carried through the film’s sonic register, binding past and present through a shared grammar of displacement, vulnerability, and survival.

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Explore the accompanying audio here.

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Commissioned by Focal Point Gallery as part of the solo exhibition titled Othered in a region that has been historically Othered, 2022. Funded by Arts Council England, Focal Point Gallery and Southend-on-Sea City Council. With support from Art Exchange at the University of Essex. 

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Chapter one credits:

Conceived, written and produced by Elsa James from focus groups she held with anonymous members of CAST, a Southend-based African asylum seekers and refugees charity. Film performance: Elsa James; Filmed, directed and edited: Andy Delaney; Colourist: Adrian Seery; Camera Assistant: Graham Tobias; Movement director: Lea Orož; Titles: Rich With; Production Assistance: Sue Withers; Music composer: Paul Gladstone-Reid MBE; Essex Researcher: Holly Firmin; Essex Witch Trials Consultant: Syd Moore; Costume Designer: Symone Williams; Costume Designer’s Assistant: Allyson Williams MBE; Make-up: Jamilat Charles. All film stills: Andy Delaney.

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Screening history:

2023 - G.A.S. Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria

2022 - Focal Point Gallery, Southend, Essex, UK

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