‘Sunday’s Best’

Being half Jamaican, on my dads side I grew up listening to stories about his childhood. He was born in Jamaica but moved to London as a kid and became part of a rapidly growing West Indian community in East London. He told me as a kid before he left for the UK he’d heard stories of England having pavements made of gold and although the pavements were not made of gold it certainly did not feel like home. It almost felt alien. From when he first landed, seeing the cloud of condensation appear as he spoke from the cold, making him think he was on fire, to the magic talking box (tv) that could somehow hear and respond as he watched in wonder. For a child or for anyone really that experience was a huge culture shock and so for many, they found peace and stability connecting with others who could also share and relate to those experiences, building these beautiful and multi cultural communities. So a lot of their traditions were carried on in these homes away from home. 

One of those being the relationship they had with religion and Sunday was the day, as a family you would go to church. It was always seen as a prideful day and you would attend in your finest clothes that would have to be pristine, shoes shining and no crease in sight, no matter what your situation or circumstance was. Some of my favourite photos from that era is seeing them all dressed up in their ‘Sunday best’ which is the inspiration behind this piece.