Eastbound
Curated by Rachel Lichtenstein, in collaboration with Projects at Christ Church, this multi-media exhibition was held in the historic crypt of Hawksmoor’s Christ Church (funded by the Arts Council) and coincided with the launch of On Brick Lane (Hamish Hamilton, 2007). Lichtenstein invited some of the artists she celebrates in this book to share their own interpretations of Brick Lane and its many communities.
Through the use of film, photography and sound, the work on show attempted to challenge preconceptions of East London whilst examining the shared experience of different communities in the area. Sanchita Islam showed drawings of Bengali elders; Daniele Lamarche’s photographs reflected the many communities who have lived in the area; the disappearing world of the Jewish East End was revealed in Alan Dein’s photographs of shop fronts; iconic images by the Czech photographer Marketa Luskacova depicted the rapidly diminishing Brick Lane market; London Metropolitan University delved into their archive of images by photographer Paul Trevor to show material never publicly seen before; Phil Maxwell and Hazuan Hashim screened their East End films, with musical scores by Michael Nyman; Mohini Chandra’s soundscape featuring recordings of flowing water and street sounds from Brick Lane echoed through a disused office space and Rachel Lichtenstein’s short film, showing portraits and excerpts of people she interviewed for On Brick Lane, was projected onto the floor of the crypt.
