Commission

Charlotte Ginsborg

Our future, our past, whisper it to me

Charlotte Ginsborg, Our future, our past, whisper it to me (film still), 2023. Courtesy of the artist.

Charlotte Ginsborg, Our future, our past, whisper it to me (film still), 2023. Courtesy of the artist.

Charlotte Ginsborg, Our future, our past, whisper it to me (film still), 2023. Courtesy of the artist.

Our future, our past, whisper it to me is a series of newly commissioned short films responding to the new garden city in Ebbsfleet, created in collaboration with 12 local residents.

Combining prose poetry and documentary, the films form hybrid portraits investigating people’s sense of belonging, what home means to them, and their vision for the future of the area.

Taking inspiration from the title of Ebenezer Howard’s book, Garden Cities of To-morrow, and Henry George’s utopian novel, Looking Backwards, they encompass the memories and future aspirations of both older residents and younger generations in order to meditate on the cultural history of the area and the impacts of the new development at a key moment of transition.

As Ebbsfleet emerges against the backdrop of Brexit, the effects of the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis, Our future, our past, whisper it to me explores how we negotiate the complexities of what constitutes a ‘home’ and the challenges inherent in the creation of public space.

By drawing on traditions of oral history and contemporary spoken word practice, and working with both younger and older generations from a diversity of backgrounds, the work seeks to foreground often marginalised voices and give participants creative agency to represent their thoughts and feelings as the area faces a period of change.

The films are intended, at times, to appear as a call and response between the generations, the rhythmical flow of their words being heard against the emerging architectural development and the historical landscapes of marshland, chalk spines, gorges and views out across the Thames Estuary, as old meets new.

Our future, our past, whisper it to me has been commissioned as part of This Must Be the Place, a long-term project working with local people in Ebbsfleet to explore and shape the new garden city as it is built. This Must Be the Place is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and by Ebbsfleet Development Corporation. With additional kind support from Henley Camland.