Presented in partnership with UP Projects, Rush Me is a new digital experience by artist Sonia E Barrett.
Rush Me investigates narratives including migration, belonging, identity and hybridity and builds greater empathy with the Windrush Generation by contextualising the British Government’s invitation in the 1940’s to come and help the “motherland” in new ways. It takes a long view of the myriad ways people of Caribbean descent have moved and been moved to serve British interests. Recontextualising 'Windrush' in terms of both historical and contemporary movement, “rush me” is a meditation on help, need, peril and service.
Rush Me is an interactive digital space hosted in Hubs Mozilla, which can be explored by online audiences after the creation of an avatar. The space presents three avenues of exploration that delve deeper into the themes of healthcare, transport and military assistance. Acknowledging the Windrush Generation’s huge contribution to the nation, as well as personal sacrifices, these three themes reflect some of the areas in which Caribbeans contributed skills and lived experiences so crucial to British social, economic and cultural history. Audiences are free to roam these spaces, contribute to their narrative or participate in joint spaces of reflection.
Rush Me has been curated and commissioned by UP Projects as part of their digital commissions programme, and is generously sponsored by Barrington Hibbert Associates and supported by Arts Council England. The commission was realised with technical development and creative assistance from Marine Renaudineau.