Tell us about yourself
My name is Uzma Gulbahar and I was a Creative Production Assistant at Royal Docks, Greater London Authority, up until September 2023 (based at the new City Hall in Royal Victoria with the shiny glass building near the cable cars!)
One of the great things about this Royal Docks placement is that no one day is the same. From planning a film shoot on the water to coordinating community engagement workshops with local schools and artists, the experience has been truly fulfilling and varied.
How would you describe the work you do?
Spongebob’s spinning plate act. Knowing how to anticipate different outcomes and adapt accordingly is a key image of what’s needed in this role, especially when working to tight deadlines.
There are a lot of experiments that don’t work out and dead ends that create more questions than answers. However, the iterative process of going back to the drawing board and eventually connecting the dots between communities, artists and stakeholders is thrilling for me. Sometimes it’s good to zoom out and take a step back to meet the brief.
Do you have any interesting hobbies related to your work? Can you briefly describe your journey?
I worked on a heritage project on how monikers play a part in the machinery of colonialism. That was really interesting!
My experiences have by and large been under the umbrella of storytelling. I’m passionate about unearthing untold and lost narratives – stories that are pushed back, forgotten or misunderstood.
Funnily enough, a lot of the passion projects I’ve delivered were relevant to this role. As a Heritage Producer, I developed a multimedia project looking at how corner shops serve as community hubs in Newham which aired as part of Newham Heritage Month. The role enabled me to tell authentic narratives, build relationships with the local community and effectively tell a story digitally.
I’ve also delved into audio, through the Tape Letters project. This project shines light on the practice of recording and sending messages on cassette tape by Pakistanis who migrated and settled in the UK between 1960–1980. As an oral history analyst, I supported the interpretation of material, drawing from first-hand interviews and from the informal and intimate conversations on the cassettes themselves.
Outside of my 9-to-5, I’m a freelance writer specialising in features and essays across identity and culture. I recently reported on the barriers Muslim women face concerning their accessibility to mosques. I’m pleased to be one of the first to cover the Muslim Census’ ground-breaking report on Muslim women’s relationship to faith.
What is your favourite project that you’ve worked on and what makes it stand out for you?
When I led a community engagement programme for the Royal Docks’ sustainability season, Sea Change in partnership with UCL East’s arts and science organisation Invisible Dust, and the Royal Docks.
What was unique about this collaboration was the triangular relationship between UCL academics, artists and communities. Inspired by the incredible research at UCL East; global artists are working with local docks communities to produce artwork responding to the climate emergency.
As the relationship holder for local communities, it was my job to cross cultural and communication bridges so that artists shape authentic narratives which accurately reflect the communities’ views.
Working with East London-based visual artist Melanie Manchot on her commission Flotilla was a brilliant experience. The work takes inspiration from both the historic women’s protests around the Royal Docks, from the Suffragettes, to the Sugar Girls and the Dagenham Ford strikes, and highlights the inequalities for women working on boats. Even today, just over 1% of jobs on the water are held by women! I led on supporting the production of this project by casting a cross-generational group of women residents on a ‘flotilla’ of boats on the night-time waters. I can safely say I’m capable of playing a key role in 12-hour day film shoot!
What’s the most useful advice you have received related to your career?
Your career in the creative industries will not be linear. It’s completely fine to jump around from role to role to gain valuable skills and add more strings to your bow. I think this is especially important in the varied realm of storytelling. The more tools you have at your disposal means you can choose the best medium to tell that story.