A Forget-Me-Not Interview with Lal Davies
FMNP: Who are you? Please introduce yourself. Name or pseudonym, and whatever other information you feel comfortable sharing.
LD: I’m Lal Davies - an award-winning film-maker, photographer and poet. I have South Indian and Southern Irish heritages. Three generations of my Indian family have been born in North Wales since coming to the UK. I have an established practice of first-person narrative and short documentary film-making and an emergent multi-disciplinary practice using film, photography and poetry as distinct disciplines and at the blurred edges where they meet, This work explores my relationship with the land; post-colonial narratives in Wales; race; representation and visible difference, as well as broader themes of love and loss. In 2023 Lal will be one of 6 women artists in Oriel C A R N’s Benywaidd exhibition; an Honorary Research Fellow for Amgueddfa Cymru relating to Wales’ involvement in the British Empire exploring ideas of colonialism, anti-colonialism, race, representation and national identity; a Creative Practitioner on Cynefin culturally and ethnically diverse Wales for Arts Council of Wales; film-maker for Stronger Together Ty Pawb Multicultural Hub; film-maker/researcher on Pobl Fel Ni/People Like Us for NWREN funded by the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and a selected emergent writer on Re-Writing Wales for Literature Wales.
In 2022 Lal’s film Buckra Massa Pickney - Life of Enrico Stennett Windrush Elder won Best Documentary for The Gogs International Film Festival. Lal exhibited Dark/Light as a multidisciplinary visual poetry film and photography exhibition at NEW Arts Festival Wrexham in 2022. Her poetry film series Stories We Cannot Tell was selected for Gŵyl Y Ferch film festival in March 2022 and for the Bloomsday Film Festival Dublin Ireland May 2022. Lal has recently completed her MA in Art Practice.
FMNP: What made you want to be an artist/writer?
LD: I’ve always loved both words and pictures and could never quite decide which I wanted to use more - so I’ve always used them both, sometimes separately, more often together. My creative practices are the places to put all the things that live in my head that I can’t put anywhere else in life!
FMNP: What is your favourite piece you’ve created to date?
LD: I think like lots of artists and writers my favourite piece is usually the one I’m working on - or struggling with! At the moment it’s this body of work, a short film called Trawstrefa/Transhumance and Always Your Little Boy: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10148919
FMNP: What is one piece of advice you have to other creatives out there?
LD: Don’t wait for permission to find your voice - and once you do, keep using it!
FMNP: How did you discover Forget-Me-Not Press?
LD: From an online call-out for the first issue.
FMNP: What do you like about Forget-Me-Not Press?
LD: Lots of things! Often I find the themes are close to themes I am writing about or creating for, the presentation of the work is always beautiful and I love the range of work FMNP selects. Lastly, the team there are lovely to deal with.
FMNP: Why do you keep submitting to Forget-Me-Not Press?
LD: As above - mostly because I find the themes match the themes I explore.
FMNP: What is your favourite piece from the Issues you have been a part of?
LD: It’s been a thrill each time I’ve had something published in FMNP but I was particularly pleased to have some visual poetry photography published because I started making these pieces as an experiment and wasn’t sure what to do with them or I could find an audience for them in any way: Early, Moving Shadows, Dark/Light
FMNP: Let us know where to find you! Please share any of your social media, websites, etc.
LD:
Wordpress: https://laldaviesma.wordpress.com
Instagram: @laldffilmiau
Facebook:: lal.davies @ffilmiaucymunedoldavies
Vimeo: Lal Davies/Ffilmiau Cymunedol Davies
Twitter: @davies_lal
Lal Davies has work featured in three of our Issues at Forget-Me-Not Press:
Issue#1 Haunting: Ask Me Back/Cynefin
Issue #3 Nothing Gold Can Stay: Early, Moving Shadows, Dark/Night
Issue #4 In the Dark: Golau Tywyll Dark Light and Rope
