Preview Evening — Thursday 5 March 2026, 6–8pm  ·  The New Art Gallery Walsall  ·  All welcome

Current Exhibition

Paths You Walk

The New Art Gallery Walsall, Community Gallery
6 March – 6 July 2026

A wet Black Country street at night, cobblestones gleaming under sodium street lamps, industrial mist hanging in the air — the world of Paths You Walk

Production still, Paths You Walk, 2026

Exhibition Details

Venue
The New Art Gallery Walsall
Gallery Square
Walsall, WS2 8LG
Gallery
Community Gallery
Dates
6 March – 6 July 2026
Preview Evening
Thursday 5 March 2026
6pm – 8pm · All welcome
Admission
Free entry

About the Exhibition

Reimagining Industrial Migratory Stories CIC received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for Paths You Walk, an ambitious film and heritage project based in Walsall. Billy Dosanjh has produced a series of cinematic moving-image works and heritage-based photographs reimagining local South Asian narratives — stories of labour, migration, and resilience that shaped the region.

This exhibition aspires to revitalise Walsall's 1960s heritage through compelling filmic sequences and photographic images, depicting the struggles, hopes, and resilience of those who shaped the region. Billy and his team utilised a professional film production crew to work closely with residents of The Butts, transforming familiar streets into fully realised 1960s environments. Throughout the shoot the team gathered an extraordinary collection of props and costumes, many of which will be on display.

Alongside the completed photographs, visitors will experience selected film sequences and additional photographic material that reveal new layers of the work. It is an immersive look at process as much as outcome.

Film Screening

The exhibition features the debut of the Paths You Walk film series, produced with a full cinematic crew in Walsall.

"As a team, we're delighted to take our organisation's ethos and heritage love into the Walsall community to elevate missing stories and inspire participants to aspire. This is a landmark commission for the CIC."

— Billy Dosanjh, Creative Director

Preview Evening

Thursday 5 March 2026, 6–8pm

Everyone is warmly invited to the preview evening. It will be a chance to meet Billy, members of the crew, as well as the actors and volunteers who brought the project to life.

Email us for more information

Project Partners

  • Caldmore Community Garden
  • Walsall Library Archive
  • Walsall College
  • The New Art Gallery Walsall
  • Walsall Council
  • Urban Hax
  • More Than a Moment
  • National Lottery Heritage Fund

Production World

Inside the world of Paths You Walk

The production team built complete 1960s environments — each prop, costume, and location researched from the moving image archive and community testimony.

Cooling towers behind terraced houses at dusk
Period workshop with vintage tools and warm lamp light
Garments hanging in a textile factory
Brass Ganesh on a car dashboard — sacred within the everyday
Molten metal poured in a foundry
Open suitcase with Ganesh, marigolds, and fabric
Shop window with English and Urdu signage
Weathered hands at work against industrial steam
A foggy industrial street at night, sodium lamp glow through the mist
A marigold garland at a factory window — cultural presence in industrial space

The Shoot

Making Paths You Walk

Photography by Demi from Walsall College

Crew member in hi-vis on set — production underway in Walsall
Actor outside the café set — 1960s Black Country recreated
Figure in a snowstorm at night on the film set
Vintage car steering wheel — period vehicle on set
Cast members in costume between takes
Props being prepared — hessian sacks and period objects

All photographs © Demi from Walsall College

Behind the Scenes

Building the world

G. Singh & Sons shopfront with period signage and produce — the set fully dressed
Period Austin car in a brick garage — vehicle props for the production
The street set covered in snow at night — location transformed for filming
Snow falling at night on the set — atmospheric conditions during the shoot
Crew reviewing shots on monitors under the production tent
Community engagement event in the garden — Caldmore Community Garden
Billy Dosanjh speaking at the Caldmore Community Garden event
Visitor viewing a large-format Exiles photograph in the gallery

In the Gallery

Deep-zoom companions

Each physical artwork in the exhibition is accompanied by a QR code label. Scanning it opens a dedicated page in this archive where you can explore the full high-resolution image — zooming in to details invisible to the naked eye at any print size — along with the story, community voices, and process notes behind that specific work.

Browse the digital archive
A doorway framing golden interior light — threshold between worlds
A man in a doorway watching the snow — the longing and isolation of exile

All Exhibition Venues

Where to see the work

Primary Venue

The New Art Gallery Walsall

Community Gallery

6 March – 6 July 2026

Gallery Square, Walsall WS2 8LG

Visit website →

Caldmore Community Centre

Community Exhibition

Dates to be confirmed

Caldmore, Walsall

Walsall Library

Community Exhibition

Dates to be confirmed

Lichfield Street, Walsall WS1 1TR

The Journey

Building the project

From community consultation to classroom collaboration — the milestones that shaped Paths You Walk before a single frame was shot.

July 2024

Caldmore Community Garden Event

In July 2024 Billy took the first steps on an inspiring journey to uncover the untold stories of the Caldmore community, a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood in Walsall. Incredibly, students at the local primary school speak an astonishing 88 different languages — a testament to the rich cultural tapestry that defines this community.

During the Summer Garden Party event, Billy had the privilege of meeting local residents, many of whom have lived through remarkable experiences of migration, resilience, and transformation. These stories provide the foundation for the project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The warmth, generosity, and depth of the stories shared were nothing short of extraordinary. Caldmore is a place of hidden histories waiting to be told.

Billy presenting the project at Caldmore Community Garden
Billy in conversation with community members at the garden party
Group of residents at the Caldmore Community Garden Summer Party
Billy with Caldmore residents sharing their stories

November 2024

Walsall College Project Presentation

In November 2024, Billy visited Walsall College's creative department, marking the beginning of an exciting collaboration. With a strong passion for expanding young people's career aspirations, Billy is committed to encouraging students to think beyond traditional paths and explore new creative opportunities.

As part of this initiative, Walsall College students played an integral role in bringing the project to life. A student panel of six members was formed to select transcriptions for interpretive materials, and 18 students received training and hands-on experience on a professional production set.

Students were also proud to be on set during the January shoot, gaining first-hand experience in film production and observing how a professional shoot operates from the ground up.

Billy presenting Paths You Walk to Walsall College students
Students watching Billy's presentation at Walsall College
Wide view of Billy's presentation at Walsall College creative department
Billy addressing the full group of Walsall College students

Press

Download the official Paths You Walk press release

Press Release (PDF)