Easy Read Version
Audio Version (Listening Time: 4 min 3 sec)
‘Birdsong and a bathroom’ by Anne-Marie Copestake
Duration: 53 minutes
Sensory Note: This film contains flashing images at the following timecodes; 19:52 to 19:58, 20:33 to 20:37, and 28:53 to 29:00.
We are thrilled to share the film ‘Birdsong and a bathroom’ by Anne-Marie Copestake with you online for the next month. This special screening is a part of her recent solo exhibition at LUX, which ended on 4 August.
‘Birdsong and a bathroom’ explores the life of the Holly Lodge Estate in Highgate Village. Through the voices of the past and present residents, the film considers the legacies of the Holly Lodge community.
The estate was built on grounds once owned by 19th century heiress and philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts. She was encouraged to support housing projects by her friend Charles Dickens. In 1923, The Lady Workers Homes Ltd built faux-Tudor blocks near Highgate Cemetery to provide a “safe and pleasant” place for single working women.
The bedsits and flats were small with shared bathrooms. The community had a range of spaces including planted grounds, a dining room, a library and a tennis court, fostering a thriving women’s community on the slopes below Highgate Village.
Throughout the years, the ownership of the blocks shifted from housing association to local council. In 2007, a tenant-led campaign successfully protected seven estate blocks from being sold to private developers. This campaign reflected the challenges and vagaries of making a home in London and the enduring impact of the loss of council housing.
The estate was also where Circles, the feminist film distribution network (now LUX’s sister organisation Cinenova), was founded. It operated from curator Felicity Sparrow’s flat during the 1970s.
The exhibition was accompanied by a series of workshops, talks and screenings.
Commissioned by Holly Lodge Community Centre and LUX. Supported using public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England and The Elephant Trust.
‘Birdsong and a bathroom’ film credits:
16mm camera, Alia Syed
Music, Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh
Colourist, Jason R Moffat
Sound mix, Jamie Grier and Anne-Marie Copestake
Many thanks to the Holly Lodge estate and community; Grace Livingstone, Elizabeth
Doherty, Za Ball, Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh, Catherine Minns, Ihanna Tarafdar,
Nazmin Akther, Anna Parkinson, Jesse Parkinson, Mei-Ling Harris, John Deutsch,
Joyce Morton, Antonia Pereira, Roger Elliot, Josh Cedar, Elizabetta, Jane Atkinson,
Sheena McCarty, Carin Thuresson, Janet Kumar
Many thanks to Alia Syed, Louise Shelley, Sun Park, Amel Moyersoen, Ben Cook,
Charlotte Proctor, Matt Carter, Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh, Jamie Grier, Jason Moffat,
Matthew Arthur Williams, Richy Carey, Humera Syed, Seán Elder, The Republic,
Lucy Parker, Felicity Sparrow, Emmie McLuskey, Duncan Marquiss, Liz Jellinek,
Ingrid Smits and all at Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre.
Artist Biography:
Anne-Marie Copestake is an artist living in Glasgow. Attentive to temporary and longer term communities, daily acts, acts of refusal, narrative and emotion, her work is concerned with entangled social political conditions surrounding choices, or lack of choices, and an exploration of histories and environments that may have contributed. She often works collaboratively, recently with musician Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh.
About Holly Lodge Community Centre:
Holly Lodge Community Centre offers a wide range of activities in a friendly, relaxed environment, it is a registered charity (No. 293003) serving the local community. Located on the site of a former dining pavilion on the historic Holly Lodge Estate in Highgate, North London, Holly Lodge Community Centre can be found at 30 Makepeace Avenue, just off Hillway, Highgate, North London. https://hollylodgecc.co.uk/
