Handsworth Riots
Photograph
09/1985 (photographed), 2012 (photographed)
09/1985 (photographed), 2012 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Born in St. Kitts, Pogus Caesar moved to Birmingham as a child. His photographs of the local community include a record of the brief but significant period of social unrest in the Handsworth area at the beginning of September 1985.
The events that became known as the 1985 ‘Handsworth riots’ began the day after the multicultural community’s annual carnival. They were said to have started when crowds gathered to protest against the arrest of a black man whose car was thought to be illegally parked and missing a tax disc. Two days of violence resulted in extensive damage to the local area and left 35 people injured, 2 people unaccounted for and 2 people dead. Caesar’s photographs highlight the everyday circumstances in which the destruction occurred. He has since commented that ‘even today many people still ask the question: ‘how could a tiny spark turn into such a gigantic flame?’
The disturbances remain a contentious turn of events, especially the way in which they were policed and reported. National media coverage often portrayed the violence as a result of interracial conflict between Handsworth’s black and Asian communities, an account disputed by local people. Handsworth had witnessed an earlier outbreak of violence in 1981, during a series of disturbances across Britain. The events in 1985 were also followed by further conflicts in urban areas, such as Brixton and Broadwater Farm in London. The social discontent which surfaced in all of these areas has since been linked to high levels of unemployment and poor relations between the police and local people. Caesar documented the events in Handsworth alongside Black Audio Film Collective, which explored the representation of the ‘riots’ in their seminal film Handsworth Songs (1986).
The V&A acquired four of Caesar’s photographs as part of the Staying Power project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives.
The events that became known as the 1985 ‘Handsworth riots’ began the day after the multicultural community’s annual carnival. They were said to have started when crowds gathered to protest against the arrest of a black man whose car was thought to be illegally parked and missing a tax disc. Two days of violence resulted in extensive damage to the local area and left 35 people injured, 2 people unaccounted for and 2 people dead. Caesar’s photographs highlight the everyday circumstances in which the destruction occurred. He has since commented that ‘even today many people still ask the question: ‘how could a tiny spark turn into such a gigantic flame?’
The disturbances remain a contentious turn of events, especially the way in which they were policed and reported. National media coverage often portrayed the violence as a result of interracial conflict between Handsworth’s black and Asian communities, an account disputed by local people. Handsworth had witnessed an earlier outbreak of violence in 1981, during a series of disturbances across Britain. The events in 1985 were also followed by further conflicts in urban areas, such as Brixton and Broadwater Farm in London. The social discontent which surfaced in all of these areas has since been linked to high levels of unemployment and poor relations between the police and local people. Caesar documented the events in Handsworth alongside Black Audio Film Collective, which explored the representation of the ‘riots’ in their seminal film Handsworth Songs (1986).
The V&A acquired four of Caesar’s photographs as part of the Staying Power project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print from 35mm archival negative |
| Brief description | Photograph by Pogus Caesar from the series Handsworth Riots, gelatin silver print, Handsworth, Birmingham, 1985, printed 2012 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of an overturned white car with broken windscreen. The damaged car is on a residential street with another similar car parked normally behind it. The registration of the damaged car is NOK 529X'. The Windscreen is completely shattered and shards of the glass from it are seen on the road below. Behind the car two men are looking over the scene. One of the men is black with a flat cap, suit and sunglasses. The other man is white and seems to be shrugging his shoulders. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Styles | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Credit line | Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. |
| Object history | The V&A acquired this photograph as part of the Staying Power project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | Born in St. Kitts, Pogus Caesar moved to Birmingham as a child. His photographs of the local community include a record of the brief but significant period of social unrest in the Handsworth area at the beginning of September 1985. The events that became known as the 1985 ‘Handsworth riots’ began the day after the multicultural community’s annual carnival. They were said to have started when crowds gathered to protest against the arrest of a black man whose car was thought to be illegally parked and missing a tax disc. Two days of violence resulted in extensive damage to the local area and left 35 people injured, 2 people unaccounted for and 2 people dead. Caesar’s photographs highlight the everyday circumstances in which the destruction occurred. He has since commented that ‘even today many people still ask the question: ‘how could a tiny spark turn into such a gigantic flame?’ The disturbances remain a contentious turn of events, especially the way in which they were policed and reported. National media coverage often portrayed the violence as a result of interracial conflict between Handsworth’s black and Asian communities, an account disputed by local people. Handsworth had witnessed an earlier outbreak of violence in 1981, during a series of disturbances across Britain. The events in 1985 were also followed by further conflicts in urban areas, such as Brixton and Broadwater Farm in London. The social discontent which surfaced in all of these areas has since been linked to high levels of unemployment and poor relations between the police and local people. Caesar documented the events in Handsworth alongside Black Audio Film Collective, which explored the representation of the ‘riots’ in their seminal film Handsworth Songs (1986). The V&A acquired four of Caesar’s photographs as part of the Staying Power project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives. |
| Associated objects |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1202-2012 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 17, 2012 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
