Roshini Kempadoo

Face Up is a screen-based video installation of character “idents” that combine photographs and short stories about living in London.1

As the inevitable eavesdropper, listener, earwigger, I can't help but overhear partial conversations and oversee occurrences on screen—at the bus stop, in the supermarket queue, walking along the street.

These are starting points for imagining what happens next.

Bus 321 northbound, 24 November 2015, Lewisham, London. I witness a young black man being refused entry onto the bus. In protest, he stands in front of the vehicle, challenging the driver. The bus driver revs the engine and inches forward, escalating the state of play. The man and the driver are at an impasse. I and others look on and use phones to document and screen-share what happens next.

It soon goes viral.

Deirdre takes a look at the state of her hair using the laptop while waiting...

Issue Section:
Guest editor, Andil Gosine
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