The National Windrush Monument created by Basil Watson was unveiled on 22 June 2022 at London Waterloo Station by Windrush Pioneers Alford Gardner and John Richards in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
UP Projects worked with the Windrush Commemoration Committee (WCC), chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin and the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) to support the process of commissioning an artist to create a national monument to the Windrush Generation.
About The National Windrush Monument
In 2018, the UK government announced their commitment to the development of a tribute to the Windrush generation and their descendants in recognition of their vital contribution and enrichment of the UK’s social, economic and cultural history. This included the introduction of a National Windrush Day on 22nd June each year to celebrate the anniversary of the disembarking of MV Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks, and the establishment of the Windrush Commemoration Committee (WCC), chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin.
Commissioned by WCC, The National Windrush Monument is a permanent tribute to a generation of arrivals from the Caribbean to Britain – from the arrival of MV Empire Windrush in 1948 and in the decades that followed. It recognises how the Windrush Generation have enriched our nation’s history and made invaluable contributions to all aspects of British life, from our health and transport services to our politics, businesses, literature and culture.
UP Projects were appointed to manage the selection process of the artist to design and make the monument and ensure that the views of the Caribbean community in the UK were sought on what would represent a meaningful legacy.
After an extensive search with the support of over 250 international and British cultural leaders, curators and leaders in the Caribbean community, 16 national and international artists were longlisted, with a final 4 chosen to be shortlisted. Each of these artists was of Caribbean heritage. Following the shortlisting, 6 weeks of public engagement took place between July and August 2021. This phase sought to engage with the public to ascertain their thoughts on the shortlisted artists: Jeannette Ehlers, Valda Jackson, Basil Watson and Thomas J Price.
Basil Watson chosen to create The National Windrush Monument
During the programme of public engagement in 2021, the public were invited to have their say on the artists’ proposals through an online survey. Basil Watson’s design received the most positive feedback from the online survey and focus groups which included individuals from a range of ages and locations. Their views were taken into consideration by the Windrush Commemoration Committee when they made their final decision.
In Oct 2021 internationally renowned artist Basil Watson was announced as the artist chosen to design The National Windrush Monument.
Watson’s monument pays tribute to the dreams, ambition, courage and resilience of the Windrush migrants who were invited to Britain by the British Government after the Second World War. Three figures – man, woman and child – dressed in their “Sunday best”, are climbing a mountain of suitcases hand-in-hand, demonstrating the inseparable bond of the Windrush pioneers and their descendants and the aspirations of their generation. The monument is intended as a testament to those who stepped ashore to lay a foundation for their families and their future, influencing and contributing to every aspect of our society.
About Basil Watson
Based between Jamaica and Atlanta, USA, Jamaican artist Basil Watson is a prolific sculptor and painter who has created a number of high-profile public monuments in the Caribbean and the USA. In 2016, the Government of Jamaica awarded Basil the Order of Distinction (Commander) in recognition of his contributions in the field of Art. Since achieving international recognition, he has completed major commissions in China, Guatemala, and in various States within the US. He is known for his statues of sporting heroes such as Usain Bolt and Merlene Ottey, and most recently he was commissioned to create a 12-foot-tall statue of Martin Luther King Jr for the City of Atlanta, USA.
“I’m truly honoured to be chosen to design this monument from an outstanding field of applicants. I feel privileged that I now have this opportunity to express the aspirations, vision and courage of my parents, who took the long sea voyage to England in 1952 as part of that Windrush generation in search of a brighter future. I look forward to bringing my design to life, because I know how much this means to the Windrush community.”
Location
The National Windrush Monument is located at London Waterloo Station, SE1 8SW on the upper concourse, adjacent to the Victory Arch, Exit 5 of the station.
The National Windrush Monument Engagement Event
On the evening of 20 July 2021 the Windrush Commemoration Committee came together to share how they are working to create a permanent contribute to the Windrush Generation at London Waterloo station. Watch to hear their reflections on this ambitious and significant project alongside guest speaker, British Curator Mark Sealy MBE, as well as introductions to the shortlisted artists’ proposals by our Curator and Caribbean Community Engagement Consultant, Melanie Abrahams.
Shortlisted Artists Proposals
The four shortlisted artists for The National Windrush Monument were Jeannette Ehlers, Valda Jackson, Thomas J Price, and Basil Watson.
You can watch a short film of each artist talking through their vision and the ideas behind their proposals.
Click 'Watch on YouTube' to experience them full screen.
Basil Watson
Jeannette Ehlers
Valda Jackson
Thomas Price
About the Shortlisted Artists
Jeannette Ehlers
Based in Copenhagen, Danish-Trinidadian artist Jeannette Ehlers documents the stories of enslaved people while simultaneously charting the stories of migrations from the Caribbean to Europe. Ehlers’ experimental practice encompasses photography, video, installation, sculpture and performance. Ehlers has exhibited widely on an international level and in 2018 Ehlers was the co-creator of the monumental public sculpture project I Am Queen Mary in collaboration with the Crucian artist La Vaughn Belle, situated on the waterfront in Copenhagen. The memorial pays tribute to Mary Thomas, one of the four women who led the 1878 rebellion of plantation workers in St. Croix.
”Working with hybridity and pan-Africanism I have long been interested in looking further into that crucial British Caribbean part of my heritage. It will be an honour and a thrilling challenge for me to get in touch with the British Caribbean Community. I have a great deal of experience with large-scale public works of art that speak to a global audience and bring to the fore the importance of Afro-Caribbean presence and narratives in the public space.”
Valda Jackson
Based in Bristol, Jamaican born Valda Jackson is a multidisciplinary artist and a published writer. Jackson creates complex narratives that reflect and interrogate our past and present. Her work is about existence and survival, entitlement, and above all, dignity; themes which extend into her Public Art Commissions. In 2017, her collaborative public art practice ‘Jackson and Harris’ won the PMSA Marsh Award for excellence in public sculpture for a series of brick reliefs installed at the Peabody St John’s Hill Estate in Clapham. Recent projects include: ‘Still Holding On’ presented at Dreamland Margate (2018) and Still Holding On (ll) shown at Spike Open, Spike Island, Bristol (2019).
"As a daughter of the Windrush generation it is an honour to be considered to create a sculpture that celebrates the unique and profound contribution made by Caribbean and Commonwealth people to the life and culture of Britain."
Thomas J Price
Based in London, British artist Thomas J Price has been widely recognized for his public sculptures and has recently been commissioned by Hackney Council to create a permanent public sculpture honouring Hackney’s Windrush Generation, due to be unveiled in 2022. Through sculpture, film and photography, Price plays with materials and scale to challenge viewers’ expectations and assumptions through the use of a classical style of sculpture applied to everyday subjects. Price is best known for ‘Reaching Out’ a permanent 9ft sculpture of a black woman, created as part of London’s public art walk called The Line.
“As the child of a Jamaican father and English mother I have for many years been making artworks that seek to examine the notion of monumental sculpture and address the imbalance of representation within society, which makes being shortlisted for the Windrush Monument Commission feel like a very significant honour.”
“On a personal level, I grew up traveling via Waterloo station to visit family out of London on the weekends and so, as a location, it is strongly associated with a sense of “home”. The opportunity to create an ambitious sculpture that will celebrate the vast contributions of the Windrush Generation and reinforce a sense of “belonging” that can connect on a human level to a diverse range of people from various backgrounds is incredibly exciting.”
The Longlist
UP Projects presented a longlist of 16 artists who matched the criteria of the commission brief to the Windrush Commemoration Committee. The longlist comprised a rich and diverse range of artists, all of Caribbean heritage, based internationally and in the UK, from London and from regional cities. The artists represented a variety of artforms and approaches including multi-media installation, film, performance as well as sculpture including Sonia Barrett, Christopher Cozier, Ebony G Patterson, Dominique White and Alberta Whittle.
The Process
In Summer 2021, over 250 British and international curators and leaders in the Caribbean community were invited to nominate artists to create a fitting public monument to the Windrush Generation, resulting in over 100 artists being nominated from around the world. From this incredibly strong field, a longlist of 16 artists was presented to the Windrush Commemoration Committee who shortlisted four of the most relevant artists. Following a period of public engagement over the summer of 2021, the WCC selected Basil Watson to create The National Windrush Monument.
The Team
The team working on this important commission brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this complex subject:
Emma Underhill, Project Director
Karen Alexander, Curatorial Advisor
Melanie Abrahams, Curator and Caribbean Community Engagement Consultant
Lucy Shanahan, Curator and Project Manager
