‘Whatever you offer, I’ll take’: the poet who crossed Europe filming Black experience

‘Listening practice’ … one of the performers in Chorus in Rememory of Flight. Photograph: © Studioknxx

To make his latest work, poet and film-maker Julian Knox went on quite a journey – literally. The artist, who styles his name as Julianknxx, visited nine European cities – Lisbon, Hamburg, Berlin, Marseille, Antwerp, Barcelona, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and London – and in each one collected what he calls “encounters” with Black residents there.

“Some people read a poem, some people sang, some people danced,” the 36-year-old says. An artist in Lisbon would only let him film her while she slept, “’cos I’m tired of talking about Blackness and want to rest”, he remembers her saying. He giggles: “The offering could be whatever it is. I couldn’t say no.”