Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen is set to release his much-anticipated film on the Grenfell Tower disaster, 72 months after the tragedy that claimed 72 lives.
Featuring close-up imagery of the burnt-out tower block taken six months after the blaze, the 24-minute piece entitled ‘Grenfell’ will launch at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens next week.
McQueen says the piece, which aims to serve as a lasting reminder of the tragedy, could leave some viewers “disturbed”.
The 12 Years A Slave and Small Axe director has been a vocal supporter of the families of the victims of the fire, since it broke out at Grenfell Tower in north Kensington on June 14, 2017.
His piece will offer viewers a close-up look at the building, reportedly featuring stark shots of flats in which people died, and of forensics experts picking through the burnt-out flats.
The aerial footage focuses on the “charred obscenity” of the tower block as “a soundless camera wheels around” it.
In a guide to the exhibition, McQueen recalls visiting a friend living in the block in the early nineties, and admiring the “amazing” views of London it offered.
He says he created Grenfell after being moved by a sense he “needed to do something” following the fire, and wanting to document the visual impact of the block before it was covered in hoarding.
“I was in pain like many other people at witnessing a tragedy that simply did not have to happen, yet did due to deliberate neglect,” he writes.
“The question for me at the time was, how do I engage with this tragedy?
“I feared once the tower was covered up it would only be a matter of time before it faded from the public’s memory. In fact, I imagine there were people who were counting on that being the case.
“I was determined that it never be forgotten. So, my decision was made for me. Remember. This film is dedicated to the 72 people who died in the fire, the survivors and the bereaved.”
In an interview with the Guardian, McQueen said he believes viewers may be “disturbed” by the exhibition.
“You must understand that the violence that was inflicted on that community was no joke,” he told the newspaper.
“I didn’t want to let people off the hook. There are going to be people who are going to be a little bit disturbed.
“When you make art, anything half decent…there are certain people you will possibly offend. But that is how it is.”
Grenfell is running at the Serpentine South Gallery from April 7 to May 10, following a period of private viewings open to victims and families bereaved by the tragedy.
For more information, visit the gallery’s website.
