Black Corporeal (Breathing by Numbers)

Black Corporeal (Breathing By Numbers) continues Julianknxx’s investigation into the ways in which Black psyches are affected by their physical experiences. With a layering of poetry, essay, documentary and music, the film exposes the multiple realities of Black life in London and our relationships with this built environment that holds us. The film is anchored by the returning voice of Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, as she traces her journey to having air pollution officially listed as a cause of death of her 9-year-old daughter, Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the first time this had happened in the UK. This moving film highlights the disproportionate impact of air pollution in the inner city, exploring the stark realities of environmental poverty, the oppressive existence of melanated bodies and the working-class, who are often forced to live in urban estates and congested pockets of our city. However, rather than lament the weathering conditions and social pressures of Black experiences, the film honours a culture of resilience and perseverance, amongst those who have captured the cosmic.