Culture Mile x The Smalls: bringing the oasis of the City to life

How do you encapsulate the idea of a place in 60 seconds? This was the challenge posed by Culture Mile, led by City of London Corporation. We were commissioned by Culture Mile and video commissioning platform The Smalls to create a film responding to the theme of “Ancient and Modern”, focusing in on Postman’s Park, a tiny oasis in the heart of the City. 

To create our film, we first delved into the history of Postman’s Park. It’s a fascinating site, a mix of the ancient and modern that acts as a microcosm of the City as a whole. Dating back to medieval London, it was formed by the joining of several grave sites when burials in the area ceased after a landmark act in 1857. This untouched space then became a new space for Londoners looking for a respite from the hustle and bustle of the City - notably the workers of the Post Office, who were so regularly seen in the park that it came to be known by its current name.  Now, the park is most well-known for its Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, a Victorian addition spearheaded by Frederic Watts.

Influenced by psychogeographic film, I wanted to give a sense of what it was like to actually be in the park, while dipping into its history and historical role as an oasis in the city. Key to this was a contrast between grainy Super 8 film elements (our ‘ancient’ element, with no offense intended!) and ultra-sharp 6K digital filmmaking. The ‘home movie’ association of these analog film elements invites viewers to consider the role of memory in our sense of place, a sentiment echoed by the sensory recollections of our contributors. These disparate images were presented over a 24-hour cycle, drawing together a few days of footage and interview gathering.

Filming in the park fell on two of the hottest days in British history; the park was packed, but its natural protection from the elements and cool leafy surrounds kept us and other patrons from overheating. Observing the coming-and-going through the park, we saw the breadth of London: financial services City workers hurrying through, builders and cleaners enjoying well-earned breaks, grieving patients of St Barts seeking respite in the oasis. 

Composer Nicola Perikhanyan, a graduate of Culture Mile partner Guildhall School, worked to reflect the ancient & modern theme in a specially composed soundtrack that mixes contemporary ambient influences with organ and choral instrumentation. 

You can watch the film at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpyyB38azDE

And find out more about Culture Mile on their website: https://www.culturemile.london/about

To find out more about our work, get in touch, or visit our main site to find out more.