River of Blood 1978

It been sometime now I've been researching about Altab Ali and the history of the seventies. Labouring over these information and images moved and inspired me, and the creator in me gets infused with ideas and imagination. Here I have taken the images from the Bethnal Green & Stepney Trade Council 1978 by Dan Jones.  I have produced a series of computer aided designed visual arts. These images for me in a homage to Dan Jones for his part in helping my people, my elders, my family.

Cover artwork by Dan Jones

 As you can see, the images are influenced by my upbringing and my perceptions.

 

This one naturally fell in to this, resembling the Bangladesh flag. 

This design lead and formed itself into this image as I was playing with the blood spillage. This images is deep as far as one want to take it, very subjective.

 I have been experimenting with the image, repeating it in myriads of way. This images again is awesome, the depth in it, deep too.  This in my mind was a "floral," but so much comes with it, a "bloody poppy." When you let your eyes roam in this picture from inside out, each section as you move your eyes outwards gives you difference from the imagery, feet, to the chin, to the knees, to the body to the arms, to the blood.

I wanted to present what the original images did to be and my imagination. And as a Sylheti Bangladeshi, what this images invoked in me.

The original images will be forever etched in to my heard and mind and so to with the hundreds of survivors of the time and their legacies.

This images are part of the book I have been researching, compiling about Altab Ali, who was murdered in 1978. My aim was to add some substance to the old information that has been going around for over 40 years. To me I felt I was stuck, like broken record. I felt there was no real attempt to put quality information and facts about the incident and about the person, himself.

So in the process I have amassed so much information about him, his friends, family, his habits, his duties, his likes. I also wanted to know who did what after he got stabbed, where were his family during this period, who took responsibility in dealing with the event, any death is insanely painful and devastating; what did the police do, what did the press do, what did the community do and more.

I have spoken with Altab Ali's friends and family as well as his associates, it goes without saying that I have also spoken to the local historians and the community vanguards. So much so that I have been propelled to honour, value, appreciate, respect and ways disposable to me, such as a writer of proses and poetry, are an artist, freehand and as a C.A.D, visual arts.

To this end, I was looking at producing one book, but it has lead me to produce three books, one with the art and poetry from myself and others who have written in the past; 2nd book about Altab Ali, his life and family; and 3rd about the "Symbol," life after death.



  

       

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