Ticketed

Essential Information

Type
Location
Date and Times Monday 26 September 2022 | 7pm-8.30pm
Prices Adult: £15, £10 or £5 (includes admission with donation)

Created by artist Alberta Whittle, The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers features the stories of the Windrush generation and their descendants.  

Weaving together the experiences of her own family, stories sourced from Hackney Archives and conversation with the borough’s Windrush residents, Whittle's film highlights the animosity experienced by those who first migrated from the Caribbean to the UK. 

It also explores the lasting effects of hostile immigration policy, anti-blackness and racism felt by their descendants today. 

Join us at the Queen’s House for a special screening of the film, which includes a talk between Alberta Whittle and Dr Neal Shasore, Head of School and Chief Executive Officer at The London Architecture School. The event will include an audience Q&A. 

About the artist 

Alberta Whittle is an artist, researcher and curator who uses self-compassion and collective care to interrogate anti-blackness, colonialism and migration.  

Whittle is currently representing Scotland at the 2022 Venice Art Biennale with the acclaimed exhibition deep dive (pause) uncoiling memory. She is the recipient of a Turner Bursary, the Frieze Artist Award and a Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award.  

The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers is one of the works commissioned as part of the Hackney Windrush Public Programme, curated by Create London in partnership with Hackney Council and funded by the Freelands Foundation.  

About Create London

Create London, who commissioned Alberta Whittle's film 'The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers' commissions bold, radical and socially-engaged art and architecture that is woven into the fabric of everyday life. Sign up to their mailing list here .

What’s On

Family fun

Character Actors at the Queen's House

Meet historical characters connected to the Queen's House and take part in exciting performances
Sundays | 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
Free
Queen's House
Experiences | Art and culture

Queen's House Classic Treasures Tour with drinks on the balcony

Head to Greenwich for a new refreshing and effervescent tour experience
Select Sundays during summer 2025 | Sales now open for Sunday 20 July 2025 | Tour at 3.30pm
Adult: £20 (plus £3 booking fee per booking); Adult Members: £15
Queen's House
Family fun

Summer holidays at the Queen's House

Join us at the Queen's House for a range of fun activities for families during the summer break
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays | 23 July – 29 August 2025
Free
Queen's House
Workshops

Historical pocket making workshop

Create a timeless tie-on pocket as part of this project providing community workshops accessible for people with memory loss, Alzheimer’s and dementia
Tuesday 5 August, 4 November and 2 December | 11am-1pm
Free, drop-in
National Maritime Museum
Events and festivals | Museum Lates

DEBUT at the Queen's House

A night of enchanting classical music as part of DEBUT's acclaimed 'Secret Concerts' series
Thursday 4 September 2025 | Performances at 6.45pm and 8.30pm
Adult: £30, Child: £25 (plus £3 booking fee) | Adult Member: £27, Child Member: £22 | Early-bird offer valid until Thursday 17 July 2025*
Queen's House
Talks and tours | Salons in the Queen's House

Salons in the Queen's House: Breadfruit and the Creolising of Caribbean Foodways

In this free lunchtime talk historian Jade Lindo will explore the historical and cultural significance of breadfruit in the Caribbean
Wednesday 15 October 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House
Talks and tours | Salons in the Queen's House

Salons in the Queen's House: Visualising the Invisible in Jacqueline Bishop’s Collage Histories

In this free lunchtime talk art historian Dr. Freya Gowrley will explore the artistic potential of collage for telling colonial histories
Wednesday 22 October 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House
Talks and tours | Salons in the Queen's House

Salons in the Queen's House: The Seeds of Survival

In this free lunchtime talk historian Akosua Paries-Osei will explore the empire-disrupting botanical knowledge of enslaved women
Wednesday 29 October 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House
Events and festivals | Art and culture

Lunchtime Concerts at the Queen's House

Enjoy musical performances in the Queen's House given by students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 
Select Wednesdays (see page for details) | 1pm-2pm
Free, drop in
Queen's House

Banner image: The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers, featuring Zinzi Minott; image courtesy Alberta Whittle, 2022.