Black Corporeal (Breathing by Numbers) – Julianknxx / Brixton House, London

An evening of film, music and poetry, Black Corporeal (Breathing by Numbers) continues Julianknxx’s exposure of the realities of Black lives in London and the effect of the built environment on the psyche.

Black Corporeal

The mind of a poet is a wonderful thing. They have a wonderful ability to draw out connections, strip complex processes back to truths, package it up in a way that we connect to viscerally. I could most definitely learn a thing or two. At Brixton House last night to see Black Corporeal (Breathing By Numbers), it took me an embarrassingly long time to realise I’d seen the work of Julianknxx before. And the intricate web of connections in this work is a wonder I wouldn’t have reached on my own. The fact that this is such a multi-disciplinary piece of work makes it all the more impressive, immersive, immense.

To take a step back, Julianknxx is a visual artist and poet. A 180 Studios resident, Julianknxx examines and unravels the human experience, global and local perspectives, structures of power. He does this partly through a lens of West African traditions of oral history, in a practice that spans poetry, visual arts, film, and performance. Black Corporeal (Breathing by Numbers), to quote the flyer, “continue’s Julianknxx’s investigation into the ways in which Black psyches are affected by their physical experiences.”

We could a lifetime here on the blog unpacking that. Julianknxx does it very effectively in this work in the space of about an hour. Black Corporeal (Breathing by Numbers) is a film, a documentary with elements of music, poetry and performance. As an experience at Brixton House, the screening of the film incorporates a live element. Different every night, last night’s offering featured a performance by Julianknxx with live music and singers. The live element enriches and expands on the themes of the film. The interconnectedness of health issues in inner cities disproportionately affecting Black communities, the overpolicing of Black bodies, and how all of this can make it figuratively and literally hard to breathe.

Breathing By Numbers

I actually saw an earlier work in Julianknxx’s Black Corporeal series. This is what it took me a while to figure out. It wasn’t until the choir broke into the melodies of Black Corporeal (Breathe) that I joined the dots to the digital artwork I enjoyed so much at 180 Studios’ Lux. This new work, like the previous works in the series, takes the act of breathing as a sort of ‘state of the nation’. A reflection of the way we live and live together, and the challenges faced particularly by Black individuals and communities.

At the heart of the film is the voice of Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, as she reflects on her fight to have air pollution listed as a cause of death for her nine-year-old daughter Ella. A world first that came at an incredibly high cost. Julianknxx’s skill is in mapping out the connections from this deeply personal story to what lies beneath. The politics of who is subjected to unacceptable levels of pollution. The deep-seated structural prejudices against Black bodies and the working class. When the scene switches between a Lewisham housing estate and a beach, you can almost feel the air quality. The pollution on one hand, the lungfuls of fresh air on the other. The resulting film is more powerful than a classic documentary format, and deeply affecting.

Through all of the layers of meaning, societal pressures and the seemingly immutable built environment, however, the lasting feeling is one of resilience and empowerment. The message of both the film and the subsequent performance was a call to take back power and agency. For Black communities to fill for themselves the role of advocate and support. To seek out social justice rather than wait for it to come.

It was really a privilege to see this performance. Unfortunately tonight’s screening has been cancelled. So there is one final opportunity to catch Black Corporeal (Breathing by Numbers) at Brixton House on 7 October. Don’t miss out.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

Black Corporeal (Breathing by Numbers) on at Brixton House until 7 October 2022