Film screening: Breathing Space

At the height of the first UK lockdown, East London’s Victoria Park closed its gates to visitors for the longest period in its 175-year history. In one of the country’s most densely populated boroughs, with high-rise blocks and severely overcrowded housing, many locals were deprived of access to green space altogether. 

Breathing Space is the result of a collaborative effort between UCL anthropology PhD student Caroline Wilson, Hackney-based artist Karolina Raczynski and the park’s community. In this experimental documentary film, park staff and visitors reflect on the local experience and understanding of this global pandemic. The accompanying imagery includes photography by interviewees and the filmmaker´s own video and microscope footage of the park´s animal and plant life. 

Breathing Space is intended as a meditation on the role of public green space and communion with nature in a borough with widespread deprivation and isolation. 

The film will be presented as a looped installation in the Hub building at Victoria Park from 11.00-14:30 with a Q+A at 15:00 hosted by the UCL Urban Lab.