BES 5: East End

BES

Assignment 5

The East End: London’s contemporary art centre

The east end of London is one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse areas. It is often easily overlooked due to an old stereotype that once portrayed the east end as less fortunate. Before completing the walk I had not realized that I had been to the east end of London previously. The area was very full of life and contained a combination of both old and modern architecture, houses, and buildings. It reminded me a lot of higher end Camden market. There were many markets and food stands similar to the markets in Camden. I enjoyed the markets on Brick Lane. Lindsey and I found a vintage market, selling various odds and ends representing items from at least two decades ago.  Brick Lane also contained a lot of graffiti which was really neat. I enjoyed looking at the art and thought the images reflected the area well. I was also attracted to many of the colors. While touring the area I saw a graffiti artist at work. He had just spray painted a building with a little one-eyed blue blob that looked something like the monster off the film Monsters Inc. We took several pictures; my favorite was an image of robot like characters performing athletic events. In the bottom corner was a digital clock with the time 20:12 representing the summer Olympics.

While walking we saw many Georgian Houses that were first settled in by silk weavers. They were comprised of bricks and came to a point near the top reflecting somewhat of a gothic style. Many of the Georgian houses have been updated to resemble the rest of the area and a more modern look. We also passed Old Truman’s Brewery which is home to the hive of the east end’s creative business, independent shops, galleries, and bars. Upon visiting this area I was honestly expecting a “brewery”, but was actually glad to find out that it was another area for markets. I can honestly say that is one thing I will miss the most when I return home. We also ventured to White chapel art gallery and Bell foundry. The gallery was very interesting. It was different than many of the galleries we have been touring for art class. It reminded me of a more modern gallery although many of the items displayed were of older decent. I found the exhibit with the mirrors and paintings very interesting. It portrayed several images or simply one image, but was surrounded with mirrors it appeared deceiving. Our last stop on our walk was the White Chapel Bell Foundry.  The Bell Foundry is the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. Its main business is the manufacturing of church bells, their fittings, and accessories. A fun fact is that the White Chapel Bell Foundry is responsible for the production of the liberty Bell. It still produces many bells today and is one of the most popular and sought after bell companies in the world.