On the sixth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged all politicians to see Steve McQueen’s searing film of the tragedy. The 24-minute film by the British artist and filmmaker, titled simply Grenfell (2019), was recently exhibited at the Serpentine South Gallery and consists of a single shot from a helicopter slowly circling the burned-out building.
The tragedy unfolded on the evening of June 14, 2017 in west London when a fire caused by a refrigerator in a fourth floor flat spread out of control, engulfing the entire building as its combustible coating fed the flames. The fire resulted in the death of 72 people, including the artist Khadija Saye. At the time of the occurrence, approximately 350 residents lived in the building.
Oscar-winning artist McQueen, who grew up in west London, shot the film in 2017 before the building was covered in scaffolding and a protective membrane. “I knew once the tower was covered, it would start to slip out of people’s minds,” McQueen said of his decision to make the film. “I was determined he would never be forgotten.” McQueen invited survivors and those who lost their families to the fire to view the film before it is shown to the public.
A government inquiry was launched after the fire, looking into the multiple failures that led to the disaster, with final findings to be released later this year. Its first recommendations for better fire safety in similar buildings have yet to be implemented. A criminal investigation is also underway.
Gordon Brown, who served as UK Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, tweeted: “It’s been 6 years since the Grenfell fire tragedy. Steve McQueen’s powerful art installation @SerpentineUK should now be seen by all politicians to ponder what happens next.
McQueen’s work is now “in the custody of the collections of the Tate and the Museum of London”, according to a spokesperson for the Serpentine.
