At the Crossing Lines November meeting Tamara Stoll gave her first presentation to the group. Tamara is based in Leipzig and London and presented work-in-progress from her current project in Ridley Road Market.
Tamara writes: Ridley Road is a street and a market. The temporary structures and unofficial architecture of market stalls and shops convey the market’s transient nature and it’s many identities. Unlike the areas around, Ridley Road still upholds degrees of autonomy in public space. Generations of trader families as well as people from around the globe have shaped the street’s history and identity.
It was an excellent presentation and illustrated all the necessary aspects and sensibilities of one photographing and embedding oneself within a working environment
There was to be a discussion of a short video about Robin Hood Gardens in which residents who lived on the Estate in the ‘early years’ shared memories from the seventies. It was first shown during Open House London 2016 and the personal histories in the video were to provide a different view than the current general take on the Smithson’s iconic, modernist block which is due for demolition. Unfortunately, the audio-visual stuff took a disliking to the content and refused to do its stuff. Another evening?
The momentum was taken up a few gears by Allan Grainger. Allan writes: I have an idea for a project ‘Tattooing the City’. The project idea came about from a series of observations while walking around Brighton; I noticed that street ‘murals’ were beginning to appear on the façade of domestic properties. I also noticed that these ‘murals’ tended to be in the less affluent parts of the city.
I decided to find out what the position of the Brighton and Hove council is with regards to street art. In an effort to eradicate the proliferation of tagging in the city the council suggests a commission for a large-scale mural to cover up where tagging exists. I then sought the views are of street artist Aroe MSK. Next, the views of local residents
I am now in the process of trying to find a suitable method in order to discover the views of the people living in those properties where street art is either on the façade of their building or directly opposite their home.
A rigorous discussion accompanied Allan’s presentation.
John Levett