kamala katbamna / tracing whitechapel
in residence 9th march - 4th april 2009
viewing 26,27,28 march; 3,4 april (last day).
tracing whitechapel is an immersive sound and photography “map” that reflects and responds to the area’s diverse voices, sounds, and iconic sights. it reveals the stories, experiences and perceptions of the people who live and work in whitechapel, or simply pass through the area.
i am intrigued by how we shape - and are shaped by - the experience of the places in which we live, work or simply pass through. tracing whitechapel uses interviews, ambient sounds, photography and sketched maps to explore how local people have helped to create whitechapel’s distinct character, and how whitechapel has traced its own lines on their lives.
tracing whitechapel explores how experience lends depth and texture to mere street plans, and distinguishes one place from another more accurately than any official chart.
this project is supported by the national lottery through arts council england.
grateful thanks also to the ideas store, whitechapel.
experience tracing whitechapel right now: below is a selection of work from the residency ranging from images shot by kamala & esther, maps created by the interviewees and the sound stations installed in the gift shop
[run mouse over the following set of links to highlight then click to hear accompanying sound-story]urban-bar market
[run mouse over the following set of links to highlight then click to hear accompanying sound-story] spitalfields-city-farm fresh
[run mouse over the following set of links to highlight then click to hear accompanying sound-story] jagonari bell-foundry-alan-hughes
[run mouse over the following set of links to highlight then click to hear accompanying sound-story] mosque mosque-nasheed synagogue-leon-silver
[run mouse over the following set of links to highlight then click to hear accompanying sound-story] a-e-tracey-price mary-northcliffe-ward barts-the-london-chaplaincy-team
[run mouse over the following set of links to highlight then click to hear accompanying sound-story] skanska tayyabs
maps
kamala katbamna
kamala katbamna is a london-based film-maker and musician. a desire to interact with and unlock the stories of people from all walks of life underscores her work.
kamala grew up in london, canada and nottingham, where trips to the cinema first gave her a love of film. in the intervening years kamala has developed and worked on documentaries for channel 4, the bbc, sky and discovery, as well as charities and arts organisations.
kamala’s career in television has brought her into contact with an extraordinary range of people, from gang members in la, to top politicians, and tree-planters in the ugandan rainforest. she has frequently negotiated access to sensitive interviewees and locations, and creates films with a strong emotional core and journalistic edge.
music, and particularly singing, has been a constant theme in kamala’s life. in her teens she performed in venues such as the royal albert hall, festival hall and barbican - early experiences that shaped a deeply held passion for music and performance. initially trained in classical music, kamala now writes and sings jazz, blues and folk. she performs as a soloist with jazz bands, in an acoustic voice/guitar duo, and in a cappella duets and trios.
kamala has recently begun working as a community artist, helping groups create their own films and music. her work includes the ‘write now and then’ and ‘snapshot’ projects, both for all change arts and a recent project with her local primary school ameliorate amelia. she is currently developing a major project exploring the interaction between sound, music and the natural environment.
kamala’s enthusiasm for both music and real-life stories has culminated in a desire to explore the use of sound as a distinct medium. her “sound map” for the whitechapel gift shop provides a unique opportunity to do just that.
esther yarnold
esther yarnold is an artist and curator based in london and dorset. she works in photographic, digital, installation and book arts, creating work concerned with issues of pattern, mapping, repetition and abstraction in relationship to the structures of social and scientific being. esther’s photographic works are meticulous compositions and abstractions of urban and rural landscapes, and she enjoys working closely with people to represent their communities through photographic and digital art forms.
esther also works in education, public art and design as one half of creative partnership, interim. interim is a collaboration between uk-based digital artists, ben trill and esther yarnold, and was established in spring 2004 whilst studying at the arts institute at bournemouth. from september 2006 interim’s collaboration became a full-time partnership based at lighthouse, poole’s centre for the arts, offering a diverse range of creative services.
interim’s aim is to create playful, engaging and aesthetic art and design work, for broad and diverse audiences, focusing on issues of negative space in both real and unreal worlds. inspired by the physical properties and constraints of a location, situation or brief, the partnership brings together their different disciplines and aspirations enabling the creation of diverse and compelling work. they work closely with people to encourage creativity and reflection, resulting in high-quality end products.
esther also regularly curates events and exhibitions with artist helen pritchard (gilbertandgrape) under the name piCOt.
