Crimson Portrait

An embodied journey of making. Colour, movement and place. 

Following a colour story for PALETTE EN:IN from Edmonton-based dancer/choreographer Joshua Vendetta Nash, a short film was created to expand on his Crimson colour story and to reflect – more broadly – on the themes raised by the Festival of Industry. Shot at maker space BLOQS and in the surrounding changing Edmonton N18 area.

Crimson Portrait brings together colour, dance, industry and place in a personal way, as Joshua embodies a maker's journey of creating and innovating.

Director/Producer Cath Carver, with the industrial sublime specialist Ben Parker as Director of Photography and Editor.

Run time: 9 mins 54 sec

Using krump as his movement language, Joshua delves into the essential vitality and power of crimson, with some black and gold too. The choreography displays the processes, passion and dedication required to make something for ourselves and future generations. 

Filmed at open-access maker and community space BLOQS in Upper Edmonton N18 in North London, along local water bodies Pymmes Brook and the Lee Navigation, and in the surrounding industrial estates. 

This is an area undergoing radical change. From its industrial (and later big box retail) heritage to a new neighbourhood for London as the Meridian Water regeneration. A place of making and remaking. A blue giant in the landscape: a former IKEA, now the Drumsheds club space.

The Crimson Portrait film is part of PALETTE EN:IN – a chromatic ode to Enfield industry from Colour Your City. A special collection of colours gathered from stories and research, as part of the Festival of Industry delivered by Enfield Council and funded by the Arts Council’s Place Partnership initiative.

The film premiered as part of the Festival of the Lea at BLOQS in July 2024, followed by a Q&A with Joshua Nash and Cath Carver. The artist and community-led cultural festival was co-produced by Hinterlands Enfield from the Canal and River Trust, and BLOQS.

Crimson Portrait was shown as a video installation at the OUROBOROS exhibition 15-17 November 2024, in the Landing Gallery at Electro Studios Project Space in St-Leonard’s-on-Sea.

We’d love to book more screenings!

Please get in touch if you’d like to watch the full version, and to arrange a screening or installation.

Credits:

Dancer/Choreographer Joshua Vendetta Nash

Director/Producer Cath Carver 

Director of Photography / Editor Ben Parker 

Lighting Assistant Beth Parker

Locations: BLOQS open-access maker and community space at 2 Anthony Way, Edmonton, London N18 3QT; the local N18 area and A406 Underpass. Water bodies: Lee Navigation – a canalised section of the River Lea and Pymmes Brook.

Sound: “TEK ME OUT” (instrumental)  – Writer & co-producer Cath Carver, co-producer Jack Flynn-Oakley. Field recordings made at/around BLOQS and along the Lee Navigation by Cath Carver. Interview with Joshua Vendetta Nash.

Special thanks: Arts Council England. Everyone at BLOQS, Enfield Council teams and local partners involved in the Festival of Industry, Create Enfield network, and The Green - a Journeys & Places initiative. Canal & River Trust’s Hinterlands Enfield Residency Studio. All those weaving a vibrant creative sector in the London Borough of Enfield. Everyone who participated in PALETTE EN:IN!