My degree project is called ‘No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs,’ and it is centred around black identity, heritage, migration, archives, and family. To explain these issues, I have focused on the Ipswich Caribbean Association. 

I came across a commission being advertised on Instagram which wanted an artist:

SPILL Festival is looking for artists and/or creative practitioners with experience of creating community-centred artworks and/or heritage resources for a new project about the Ipswich Caribbean Association building (also variously known as the ICA and the Ipswich International Association) which formerly stood on Woodbridge Road. Those commissioned will work with a Steering Group and individuals and community groups associated with the ICA building, which was demolished in 2012, to explore its significant cultural and social impact, including its history, programmes, its architecture, and its importance to the many people and groups which used its services and facilities.

After seeing this post, I reached out by email to offer my support on the project as it aligned with my own work. Robin Deacon, SPILL’s Artistic Director and CEO, agreed to meet me and discuss my progress.

After meeting with Robin Deacon, he expressed a strong interest in my application for the commission. He believed that it would be beneficial for everyone involved, especially in terms of my work and the funding they had applied for from the Historic England Fund.

Using this connection, I emailed Helen Dawson, the Senior Producer who applied for the money for the organisation, for some support on the funding application. It was a simple and straightforward application, but it needed to reflect certain aspects of the black community. Helen and I met up. I brought a draft of what I had already written, and she supported me in creating a strong application.

ARTIST CALL-OUT: ICA COMMISSION FORM

Name of applicant: 

Isiah Jordan

Please let us know how you like to be addressed. This is where you can share pronouns or instructions on how to pronounce your name (optional).

Isiah Jordan using he/him pronouns.

Email Address

isiahjordan@icloud.com

Tell us about your idea (200 words)

For about a year now, I’ve been creating a photographic project centred on the Ipswich Caribbean Association focusing on the Afro-Caribbean community in Suffolk. 

I have created portraits of respected elders like Albert Grant, the former mayor of Ipswich who was involved with the ICA from the beginning. My personal connection to the work stems from an interest in exploring my own Caribbean heritage.

I’d like to use the commission to produce an additional set of 10 photographs, which will be captured on Portra 400 film and compiled into a photobook / zine for sharing within the local community. I’ll require film as well as the expenses for developing the photographs.

Each image will serve as a link to the past, creating an archive of people involved in the ICA. It will promote reflection within the community on the memories shared. Drawing from online sources, archived images, and personal interviews with individuals connected to the ICA, this project aims to foster connections and celebrate Caribbean heritage.

Creating this work will provide me with an opportunity to invite all involved to reminisce and celebrate the ICA’s impact on the lives it has touched.

Tell us how your project will be co-created with African-Caribbean communities in Ipswich, Suffolk (200 words)

This project will be co-created with the Afro-Caribbean communities in Ipswich. 

While the ICA is the focus, the narrative represents the wider community in Suffolk and beyond. To build on the network I’ve created, I aim to develop my relationships with former ICA trustees, members, staff, and volunteers. 

By doing so, I would like to gain further insights into their perspectives, experiences, and aspirations for the future of our community. This interaction will aim to foster stronger connections and collaboration within the Afro-Caribbean community in Suffolk.

I would like to involve these communities to facilitate access to the project, promote participation, and strengthen the project’s impact.

My practice involves visiting people in their homes, discussing their experiences with the ICA, and taking their photograph in a comfortable setting. This process actively involves the community in the creative process, inviting them to collaborate in the way they would like their stories, memories, and insights to be told.

I am keen to continue this way of working as it fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among community members, facilitates meaningful connections, and preserves cultural heritage.

What will you create and how will it meet a public audience? (150 words)

Is it good to go in with an idea or is it better to give a few options for them to get excited about?

To create the work, I have been networking with individuals from the ICA. I have met with people such as Albert Grant, the Chairperson; Zelma Archer, also Chairperson for some time; Samuel Rollins, a member of the ICA; and Tony Powlett, who led the education. These people have given me amazing insights into the work of the ICA.

Throughout this journey, I have gathered materials such as photographs, press articles, public and private interviews, and archived documents. 

For the outcome of this project, I would like to spend some of the working days working with a designer, curator, or book publisher to put all this work together and create a photo book / zine of this work. With the aim of the work being shared with the community in Suffolk.

This will impact the community as it will give them an opportunity to reconnect with memories from the ICA. 

What impact do you hope your project will make in terms of a longer-term legacy after the project’s completion? (100 words)

It will create a public archive for all the photographs, press articles, public and private interviews, and documents. Using these outcomes will offer the upcoming generation an opportunity to connect with and explore their own identities in the future. 

I imagine the creation of a photo book to serve as a physical record of the experiences of individuals within the Afro-Caribbean community in Suffolk. It’s essential that this photo book / zine be made available in places visited by these communities, such as The Hive, The Hold, or Westgate Community Centre, ensuring accessibility and relevance to those it represents.

Please give a rough outline of how you will spend the 10 or 20 working days (200 words)

I would like to apply for the commission of £3000:

For 10 days of working: 

I could spend a day researching, planning, and networking with individuals, four days photographing, two days editing and scanning the work, and three days creating a photo book / zine (I already have a draft of this). This outline may change as the work develops, but this is a rough estimate.

This process would include:

§  Taking the photographs.

§  Editing, including colour correcting, scanning, and processing the work created. 

§  Networking to create further links with organisations and community members.

§  Working with community members to ensure the work is appropriate and sensitive.

§  Sharing the work (whether that’s on social media and/or in-person talks).

§  Creating and designing a photobook / zine on InDesign.

§  Visiting members of the community in their homes to photograph them.

§  Talking to people about experiences of the ICA.

Please share a link to your artist website if you have one:

https://www.isiahjordan.co.uk/

Please share a link to any artist social media channels if you have them:

https://www.instagram.com/isiahjordannx/

Sources: The White Pube, SPILL Festival and Robin Deacon