Migration, Adaptation, self-identification
A sense of belonging in London for filmmakers
As a fluctuating self-concept, human identity develops and changes in response to changes in actions, contexts, and thought (Bailliard 2015). Apart from the two participants who dropped out, the other three informants of this project are from China, Russia, and Finland. I'm not sure if it's more appropriate to refer to them as "foreigners" or "outsiders" because a person's identity is not defined simply by nationality or blood. Therefore, before starting my project, I asked for their permission and asked them about their thinking of self-identification.
(Before the project)
Finnish: I don't think I am an "outsider" to London. I immigrated to England from Finland when I was ten years old, and London can be considered my hometown growing up. But when you ask me where I'm from, I subconsciously answer that I'm from Finland.
Russian: I think I could be called a "foreigner", but I don't like the word "outsider" very much. I am Russian, but I have lived in many countries around the world, so I don't think I belong as an outsider in the English-speaking world.
Chinese: I think you could call me an outsider in London. I don't think I belong to London, or to the English-speaking world, either in terms of human identity or cultural identity. Especially after the outbreak of Covid-19, I feel that I have always viewed myself as an outsider here.
I adapted the theme of this study to examine foreigners' sense of identity and belonging in London as mediated through the visual and aural senses after learning about my participants' self-identification. However, after a three-month observation, it is surprising that their self-identification did not change with the use of the camera. The Finnish informant still considers herself to be of mixed Finnish and British origin, while the Russian informant has even turned to define herself as an "outsider" in the Western world for some political reasons. Meanwhile, the Chinese informant claims that filming London with a camera hasn't helped her integrate into the city and that she doesn't think she's gained a new identity or sense of belonging as a result.
The results of this study have left me somewhat confused. From my perspective, as a foreigner who also studies documentaries in London, I think the use of the camera has brought me closer to this city. When I take my camera to document London, I develop a more profound sensory memory of the town, whether visual, auditory, or tactile. As a result, after the project, I scheduled a few more interviews with informants to better understand their sense of belonging in London.
There is no doubt that the camera can create a sense of place-making for filmmakers. As what Blum-Ross explores in the ethnography named "It made our eyes get bigger: youth filmmaking and place-making in East London," "filmmaking is a means for young people to re-construct and imagine both familiar and unfamiliar spaces" (Blum-Ross 2013, 2). In other words, the highly focused visual and aural experience required for filming helps filmmakers expand and enhance their specific embodied experience of London (Blum-Ross 2013). As one of my participants (Elizabeth) said, she may have forgotten the exact scene many years later, but she will still remember the sound of bells and hawkers in the distance that she heard on that day through the headphones. The camera provides a sensory place-making opportunity for filmmakers, linking their past and future through digital storage.
According to Blum-Ross (2013), people using professional-grade cameras for the first time often experience a profound "sense of place" due to the way technology mediates place. However, why does this reinforcement of a sense of place not contribute to a stronger sense of belonging? With these questions in mind, I interviewed my participants several times. Two of the participants gave me an answer I couldn't question. They agree that a sense of belonging does not come from the medium used but from cultural identity. Observing London through the camera over time did give and enhance their sense of place and intimacy with London but did not create a "feeling at home". On the contrary, the long hours of filming made them even more aware of the differences in cultural backgrounds between the different countries. This discrepancy makes them further aware that they are out of step with London or its culture. At the same time, they maintain a spectator during the filming. This long-term self-definition as bystanders has also led them to deny themselves a sense of belonging to London.