Brick Lane – slightly weird

20th September 2021

Street art perspective – mostly Brick Lane

Monday, 20 September, 2021

Looking out of my window this morning, I saw the white tagging on the black utility box opposite being swiftly painted over by some Hackney workers. They posted a notice on the box, no doubt discouraging any future painting. As if they could really.

Not all street art is skilled. I’m particularly not fond of the lettering graffiti or so-called tagging, which is just scrawled writing, often on top of other nicer art. I used to like Banksy, but got bored of the political statements and sameness, although he still produces some nice images. In fact, I’ve had favourites that fall from the top of my list as my tastes change or I get weary of the consistent style.

Down in Penge, there’s a street art group that nurtures and organises street art in South-East London. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing in East London, which strikes me as odd when so there’s so much here.

If you’re a fan, you’ll find a lot in Penge and Annerly, Camden, Croydon, Shoreditch and thereabouts. Hackney Wick has always been plastered with art, but this is changing as the new luxury flats and corporate offices are appearing. (Time to go back and see how that’s coming along.) Hackney Central and Dalston aren’t really on the list. I find it, of course – this is London – but there’s not a lot of note. Perhaps if someone produced something splendid on that black box there’d be less hurry to paint it over…

Walking down Brick Lane a few weeks ago, I decided to photograph some of the lesser known, not as attractive stuff. I wonder how long it would take to cover the length of Brick Lane on both sides, taking in the streets that intersect it… Even when it’s untidy or unskilled, or just consists of ‘paste-ups,’ the colour and chaos lifts my mood and intrigues me. Some of it has been there for so many years that I no longer know what came first and what might have popped up recently. The chaos of it creates equal chaos in my brain – how can I remember it all when it’s like a giant memory game. In fact, if anything here is posted twice, it won’t surprise me.

I’m putting this next one last so I can explain: it’s a Dan Kitchener art piece that’s been tagged over and over. Now, Dan often includes some tagging in his own art, a sort of tongue-in-cheek nod to the practice. The original art is now pretty much hidden, but look at the droplets of water he created. I’m glad they’re still there. He’s famous for rain soaked, multi-reflective and muted work and this is a great reminder of that.

Doc's — Not actual street art but the instantly recognisable Doc Martens soles – clever pavement art

Oakley street art inspired pavement stencil. Increasingly, corporations are taking note and these days you’re likely to see corporate-sponsored art by known street artists on the walls around town. Maybe it’s a slippery slope…

Street art inspired storefront — On Brick Lane, many shops have art over the whole facade, sometimes only the doors. This one has decorated the outside, inspired by everything around it

On the weekend, I went on a walk called Global Dalston. I learned something about Dalston’s multiethnic roots. I’ll blog about that another time.

The one nice Dalston mural in Gillet Square is obscured by hoarding as they regenerate. I hope it’s left intact

On Kingsland Road, I wasn’t sure if this was street art or painted by the business, or sponsored by them. No signature

Sometimes I take people on a walk and it always includes street art. Occasionally, I pick up cues that the person with me has zero interest in what I’ve shown them. That’s OK. It’s not for everyone. I have friends who think street art is nothing but vandalism. I have friends who favour street artists I don’t care for. It’s nice when a disinterested person walking with me is tempted to take out their phone and capture the art for themselves. When I think about taste in art, my mum comes to mind. She was an accomplished artist who showed talent from a young age, but whose art career was cut short by WW2 and then marriage. She was repulsed by black velvet paintings and said so at every sighting – ‘They have terrible taste.’ One day I couldn’t resist – ‘You know, mum, thousands of people love them. Maybe it’s your taste that’s off.’ It was naughty of me and earned me a sideways glare, but there it is.

I’ve always liked dereliction and chaos, unattracted by tidiness and order. I put it down to my childhood, growing up in what people called the slums and I called home, playing in the bomb-damaged streets, and my earliest memories of London as a crumbling, sooty, rundown city that I somehow loved. Maybe I’m right about where this love came from and maybe I’m not. No point in making excuses. I see no merit in Picasso. Taste is taste.

27th August 20219th September 2021

House of Annetta – missed tricks

Friday, 27 August, 2021

A journey to Brick Lane is always welcome. I can find so many things to do there, although these days I avoid the weekend. The Sunday markets were always a lot of fun. all the more so if I were taking someone around. On my best days we’d start in Columbia Road Flower Market then make our way over to Spitalfields Market, walk over to Brick Lane and check out all the market stalls and halls, with some lunch along the way. Then up Brick Lane to see the shops there and home again. There were always crowds.

Columbia Road got increasingly busy as more tourists found it and then one day, when I could barely move through it – shoulder to shoulder and wondering how I’d exit, like on a packed train – I stopped going. Spitalfields Market expanded into a new area where the stalls had more expensive goods, gradually the shops changed to pricier ones, and the food became less casual. Expensive restaurants popped up. The crowds weren’t too bad but worse than before. Eventually the old market where the stalls were the type you’d rummage through and be able to pick up several things without spending very much, began to change too. The eating area was moved and was now a group of tidy counters, the stalls were changed so they were fixed and neat. One area was devoted to other food kiosks with the new market uniform look. The food area began to spread and take over, with all the nicer seating. The people started to change too. No longer rough and ready, noisy and enthusiastic, they were now tidy, quiet or giggly, more money in their pockets. These days I hardly ever go. I can find nothing to buy, the food is overpriced, the atmosphere of the old market is gone. The Brick Lane markets got much busier too. The market stalls spread along the street itself, more and more of them, and mostly food. Now it was all weekend and the crowds grew, they too changing from chaotic and rebellious to more monied and trendy.

I pride myself on being a champion of change. I’ve always loved to see things moving with the times, reinventing, shapeshifting, and becoming something new but interesting. I’m fascinated with innovation and how people find different ways to design and use things. But there’s a curious and frustrating trend to uniformity. While some places stride to be unique, there can be a sameness that leaves me wondering why opportunities and tricks were missed.

Not that Brick Lane ever disappoints. When you come here on a weekday, the crowds are gone, unless you come when the mosque lets out its throngs of people. Then they fill the streets, heading home or back to work. I’m curious about them – why are they all male? what are their lives like? how long were they praying? where are the children? I love the clothing, the general quietness even in a crowd, the way they’ve imparted their calm culture in this area.

But Brick Lane is changing too. The pandemic has brought the tables out onto the pavement and some shops are closed, shuttered, or keeping shorter hours. One by one newer places have opened among the old Bangladeshi shops, more and more not Bangladeshi or Bengali. They’re more likely to be vintage clothing, small artisanal designers, cafes that sell matcha not chai, vegan brownies not samosas, burritos not tikka masala rolls.

The pub has existed since at least the middle of the 19th century, if not always under that name. It’s associated with one of the Ripper suspects, and is one of the rare old sights left. Heneage Street

Continue reading “House of Annetta – missed tricks”

10th June 202111th June 2021

Afghan Dresses and Graffiti at Brick Lane

Weds, 2 June, 2021

I really am getting out more. I’m more relaxed about how much my knee hurts while I’m out there and how much it will hurt later! That doesn’t mean I’m actually relaxed, but compared to a month ago, yes. As well, the rain and very dreary weather has pretty much eased up. We even have a sort of intermittent heatwave (which is actually a paradox). Standard moan – yeah, the flipping mask, the crutch, the bag or two, the camera, the phone, the juggling of the whole damned thing makes walking a challenge, and taking photos even more so. I take my photos in a hurry, I see things I just know stopping for to do my juggling act won’t cut it…I think to myself, if only I could just take these photos with my eyes, with my voice…and, you know what, there probably is an easier way and perhaps I need to explore that – or at least figure out why my Huawei phone doesn’t allow me to voice-activate with ‘Smile’ or ‘Cheese’ like my LG phone did. And that’s that! Krish bought me a Gimble, look it up. I know there are great opportunities with it, but I fret about how to use it and how to hold it and how to carry it around. Hmm.

I’d love to get out of my comfort zone a bit with these journeys, see somewhere or something new. At the same time, this is what I can manage, so accept the same old territory. I really do see new things, or old things with new eyes. It helps. For now, at least, I’m treading the same ground.

Anyway, I finally saw the Afghan dresses – fewer of them were displayed than I expected, but I saw them last Wednesday on the hottest day of 2021, at 27C. I went with my friend, Christine.

Bakers sculpture at 12 Widegate Street — Above Honest Burgers at 12 – 13 Widegate Street, there are four glazed sculpted panels showing the various stages of baking bread – installed in 1926. They mark the location of the Nordheim Model Bakery, which rustled up beigels and other Jewish delights for those who lived in the surrounding alleyways and beyond

Kings Stores pub, 14 Widegate Street, is named because it was the site of a huge munitions store under Henry VIII. In this area is Artillery Street and Passage, as well as Gun Street

Inside Townhouse at last, we asked to see the dresses and went through to the small gallery building at the back – it’s the size of a small living room. The exhibition was smaller than expected, but the dresses were lovely. You can read what inspired the exhibit and the dresses’ owner here. I enjoyed seeing the ideas the dresses’ creators had. The mirrors, embroidery, extra braiding and stitching. I mentioned to Chris, it reminded me of the shirts I’d made Jimmy (my first real boyfriend) when I had no idea how to make clothes, but pieced them together in shapes, creating curves with my stitches and not my scissors. You could buy these pieces. They ranged around £250-350.

Townhouse interior — Townhouse is a lovely store with antiques and crafts, Fournier Street

Continue reading “Afghan Dresses and Graffiti at Brick Lane”

12th February 2020

Not tired of Brick Lane but what’s the future?

Wednesday, 12 February, 2020

One day I will be tired of Brick Lane. Not yet, though.

On Friday, 31st January, we thought of walking down Hackney Road that day, taking the bus from Pembury Circus and wandering down – our eventual destination the cash and carry Bangla Town by Hanbury Street. From the bus, though, we noticed so much construction that the street suddenly seemed less walkable. It wasn’t roadworks but a number of new building sites in various stages of construction. What this means is the street art and curious buildings were disappearing.

So we stayed on the bus to Columbia Road.

Some parts of Hackney Road are unchanged

Perhaps another day I’ll brave Hackney Road again and see what’s left. That day opened my eyes to the increasing disappearance of the old, a microcosm – or not so micro – of London itself.

From Hackney Road we decided to walk over to Brick Lane by the back streets, taking note of all the changes and contrasts along the way.

New and old face each other in the Shoreditch back streets

Quiet Shoreditch is close enough to the bustle

From here, it was a less familiar view of Boundary Estate, from its easterly edge. Built as the nineteenth century merged into the twentieth, it’s stayed the same in appearance but not in its culture.

Boundary Estate is instantly recognisable – with its red brick

Still Boundary Estate - looking towards Arnold Circus — Still Boundary Estate – looking towards Arnold Circus

Once past Boundary estate, it’s time to head over to Brick Lane. The streets here are mostly unchanged but there are signs of the future – construction sites and hoardings – and shops at the top, quiet, end of Brick Lane before you hit Bethnal Green Road are getting smarter. The hipsters are very firmly in place. How will it all look in ten, or even five, years?

The lesser known top end of Brick Lane – very quiet

Way too busy at Brick Lane Beigel – the salt bagels were selling out

From Brick Lane, regeneration is so close

I may have said before that I’ve noticed a new phenomenon at Brick Lane. In most cities I’m familiar with, the ethnic ghettos are expanding. When I lived in North Beach, San Francisco, Chinatown was a short walk away. In more recent visits to North Beach, Chinatown has crept into its streets. In Toronto, Little India has started to creep along Gerrard Street so that you no longer have to go into its centre to find Indian culture. Brick Lane is changing in a different way – instead of exploding, it’s imploding. More and more non-Indian cafes and shops are opening, mingling with the Bengali and Bangladeshi businesses and threatening to overtake them.

What will happen next? When will the current residents move on, as the Huguenot, and then the Jewish immigrants have done? Where will they go? And will they be pushed out, priced out, or will they too climb out? Meanwhile, there’s still time to look around.

Cake on Brick Lane – encroaching on the curry houses today

Sclater Street - demolition and hope — Sclater Street – demolition and hope

One of Dan Kitchener's geishas on Brick Lane — One of Dan Kitchener’s geishas on Brick Lane – aging

Once it was only Sundays that Brick Lane was busy. Then Saturdays started to become busier. Walking along that Friday, the street wasn’t so quiet. Continue reading “Not tired of Brick Lane but what’s the future?”

23rd January 2020

How to get lost in the city

Tuesday, 21 January, 2020

I had a plan for Tuesday. I had a doctor appointment and then five hours to spare. I wanted to go to one of the restaurants on my list – I thought perhaps Gloria, which is supposed to be a flamboyant Italian place, and from there on to Brick Lane to take some photos of new street art followed by picking up food for dinner – Krish’s favourite things. It didn’t go quite as expected.

After the doctor I jumped on the first bus that came along and then jumped off to get one that would take me where I needed to go. I chose the wrong second bus. One of these days I’ll get it right but I chose the one that turns off the main road and travels on other roads. All wasn’t lost. I jumped on a third bus and then off again when I thought I was close to where I needed to go.

No clue where I was. These buildings are anonymous and hide the landmarks — No clue where I was. These new buildings are anonymous and hide the landmarks

Except I had no idea where I was. Heading down a side street to rescue my mission, nothing looked familiar. After a couple of turns, and no idea which direction I was travelling in – there have been times in London where I actually ended up back where I started, just one wrong turn. Never mind, Google would help me out.

Hey Google, I’m lost.
Uh oh. May I give you directions.
Where is Shoreditch High Street.
Turn left onto X street.
Google, there’s no X street, only Y street.
I’m sorry, I can’t help with that.

I decided I’d overshot Gloria so would head to Rosa’s Thai. I read their Instagram faithfully. It looked good and I’d never been.

Hey Google, direct me to Rosa’s Thai Cafe.
Beginning directions to Rosey Cafe.
No, Google – (more carefully) Rosa’s Thai Cafe
Turn left onto A Street
Google, A Street isn’t here. I see B Street.
I’m sorry, I can’t help with that.

Ugh.

Oh just shut up, Google.

I resorted to old style ‘I’m lost,’ I told an older lady about to cross the street. ‘OK, where would you like to go?’ ‘Shoreditch High Street.’ ‘I don’t know…’ ‘Oh, OK, thank you.’ ‘But if you walk down there I think there’s a main road.’

I went ‘down there’ and thank goodness, Shoreditch High Street – only two short blocks away. How did she not know? I turned down Folgate Street, shocked at how much had been done since my Christmas visit, then across Commercial Street to find Rosa’s.

It wasn’t too packed and I got a seat easily. The menu didn’t grab me and I’m not a fan of red or green Thai curry but I was hungry and tired so I thought I’d try their pad thai. It was something I knew so could measure it against the others. Quite honestly, I didn’t like it. The noodles were too soft, the chicken had a stewed texture, and the flavour was very sweet. I remembered on Nadiya’s show how she’d been shocked at the sweetness of Thai food. So perhaps it’s ‘authentic.’ And no chopsticks! Only a fork and spoon. I managed the noodles, left a lot of the chicken and I was done.