Local photographer Holly Cato discusses the Tottenham uprising, Caribbean Christianity and Black British History ahead of her debut solo exhibition By Alice Kemp-Habib
City Mission Church in Leytonstone. Credit: Holly-Marie Cato
On 6th August 2011, Holly-Marie Cato was snapping photographs at The Palace Cathedral on Tottenham High Road, as congregants prepared to stage an apocalypse-themed play. As an architecture student home for the summer holidays, she was no professional. But Holly-Marie had time on her hands and a point-and-shoot at her disposal, so she agreed to help out. While actors busied about backstage, crowds were gathering outside Tottenham Police Station on the opposite side of the road.
“Intermittently I kept going outside with my camera. It went from 25 people, to 50 people, to the High Road being shut down,” says Holly-Marie, who grew up between Totteham and Edmonton. “Eventually, 500 people filed into the theatre to watch a play about chaos and the end of the world, and outside was the start of the Tottenham riots.”
The cathedral doors were locked to protect those inside, so Holly-Marie climbed into a roof-top room, where she filmed “molotov cocktails being thrown and buildings being set alight” from the window. Her footage was picked up by news outlets around the world, laying the groundwork for a photography and film career that has seen her work with countless big-name brands (including Nike, American Express and Apple).
Nearly a decade on from The Palace Cathedral lock-in, Holly-Marie is returning to church with her debut solo exhibition – O Heavy is the Mantle – opening on Saturday, 1st October at the Leica Gallery in Mayfair.
Presented in time for Black History Month, the exhibition follows Holly-Marie’s uncle Herbert Cato in the days before he steps down as presiding bishop of City Mission Church in Leytonstone. The images, which are dually intimate and exuberant, explore Christianity in the Caribbean community, and the immense responsibility shouldered by church leaders.
Bishop Herbert Cato. Credit: Holly-Marie Cato
“So many times when we think about Black History Month, we think about America and the civil rights movement, when there are people here who are making history everyday,” says Holly-Marie. “That church has been standing there for longer than I’ve been alive. They are a staple in the community.”
Heavy is the Mantle comes as part of a wider Black History Month programme at the gallery, curated by Holly-Marie (who is Leica’s first Black, female ambassador). Throughout October, there will be a series of talks from pioneering photographers, including Charlie Phillips, Eddie Otchere and Simon Frederick. Holly-Marie and Leica are also offering in-person portfolio reviews for 15 photographers, one of whom will receive a £5,000 grant to continue their work in the field of photography (two runners up will receive £2,500).
Alongside the Leica exhibition, Holly-Marie recently led a seven-day course for aspiring Black photographers in response to the Southbank Centre’s show In The Black Fantastic. The resulting images are now on display on level two of the blue side foyer in the Royal Festival Hall.
“I think it is important to champion Black artists because we’ve always had narratives told about us. There’s something revolutionary about us being able to tell our own stories,” says Holly-Marie. “So in everything I do, I try to open doors to more diverse voices and perspectives. The glass ceiling isn’t broken if I’m the only one going through it, and I’m really about breaking the glass ceiling.”
‘Heavy is the Mantle’ will take place between 1st October and 1st November at Leica Gallery London, 64-66 Duke Street, W1K 6JD. For more information about the talks, portfolio reviews and the grants, visit: tinyurl.com/LEICA-BHM
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, or one-off donation.
Hi there would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using? I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a difficult time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!
When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
I was reading some of your blog posts on this website and I conceive this web site is real informative ! Keep putting up.
Howdy I am so happy I found your webpage, I really found you by accident, while I was browsing on Aol for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a fantastic post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the great job.
I really like your writing style, excellent info, thanks for posting :D. “Freedom is the emancipation from the arbitrary rule of other men.” by Mortimer Adler.
I have not checked in here for a while because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
I dugg some of you post as I cerebrated they were extremely helpful very useful
I am perpetually thought about this, regards for putting up.
Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the identical comment. Is there any way you may take away me from that service? Thanks!
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your web site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this web site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and simply could not come across. What a great site.
I went over this internet site and I believe you have a lot of superb information, saved to my bookmarks (:.
naturally like your website but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I’ll surely come back again.
I will right away clutch your rss as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me understand so that I may subscribe. Thanks.
I truly appreciate this post. I’ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again!
I truly enjoy reading through on this site, it has got fantastic articles. “Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master.” by Demosthenes.
Those are yours alright! . We at least need to get these people stealing images to start blogging! They probably just did a image search and grabbed them. They look good though!
Magnificent items from you, man. I’ve take into account your stuff previous to and you’re simply extremely magnificent. I actually like what you have acquired here, really like what you are stating and the way through which you assert it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to read far more from you. This is actually a tremendous web site.
Hello. remarkable job. I did not anticipate this. This is a remarkable story. Thanks!
It is in reality a great and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Very excellent info can be found on web blog. “Often the test of courage is not to die but to live.” by Conte Vittorio Alfieri.
Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thank you
Haringey Community Press is partly supported by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. If you value our news stories, supporting us in another way helps us to continue publishing the news you love.
Enjoying Haringey Community Press? You can help support our not-for-profit news website from £5 per month.
Hi there would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using? I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a difficult time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!
When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
I was reading some of your blog posts on this website and I conceive this web site is real informative ! Keep putting up.
Howdy I am so happy I found your webpage, I really found you by accident, while I was browsing on Aol for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a fantastic post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the great job.
I really like your writing style, excellent info, thanks for posting :D. “Freedom is the emancipation from the arbitrary rule of other men.” by Mortimer Adler.
I have not checked in here for a while because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
I dugg some of you post as I cerebrated they were extremely helpful very useful
I am perpetually thought about this, regards for putting up.
Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the identical comment. Is there any way you may take away me from that service? Thanks!
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your web site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this web site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and simply could not come across. What a great site.
I went over this internet site and I believe you have a lot of superb information, saved to my bookmarks (:.
naturally like your website but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I’ll surely come back again.
I will right away clutch your rss as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me understand so that I may subscribe. Thanks.
I truly appreciate this post. I’ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again!
I truly enjoy reading through on this site, it has got fantastic articles. “Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master.” by Demosthenes.
Those are yours alright! . We at least need to get these people stealing images to start blogging! They probably just did a image search and grabbed them. They look good though!
Magnificent items from you, man. I’ve take into account your stuff previous to and you’re simply extremely magnificent. I actually like what you have acquired here, really like what you are stating and the way through which you assert it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to read far more from you. This is actually a tremendous web site.
Hello. remarkable job. I did not anticipate this. This is a remarkable story. Thanks!
It is in reality a great and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Very excellent info can be found on web blog. “Often the test of courage is not to die but to live.” by Conte Vittorio Alfieri.
Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thank you