Gordon Beswick

A behind the scenes film of ‘Give to Me the Life I Love’, a project by artist Matt Stokes commissioned by the Whitechapel Gallery. November 2012.

Artist Matt Stokes immerses himself in communities to look at the culture that shapes people lives and identities. This new work of art for The Street is inspired by the people who live around the Whitechapel Gallery in east London, home to the largest Bangladeshi community in the UK.

Over the last year Stokes has searched archives, talked to people locally and travelled to Dhaka, learning about language, music and activism. He discovered generations whose relationship with Bangladesh holds different meanings. His film, Give to Me the Life I Love, weaves these stories together in a movie script voicing the views of young and old.