Capturing Life at Brick Lane Launderette in 1983

This was the launderette I used when I first moved into a tower block on Old Montague Street in 1982. I wasn’t there as a visiting documentary photographer — I was part of the furniture. Like always, my camera was my notebook and diary. It went everywhere with me.

This photograph was taken with an Olympus XA2 — a marvellous little camera that allowed you to work unobtrusively. It slipped easily into a pocket and never drew attention. For professional assignments I used a single-lens reflex, of course, but the XA2 was perfect for moments like this.

I made ten frames of the couple. During that short time, their mood shifted and they seemed to fall into a disagreement. In the final moments, the young man was left sitting alone, watching the washing revolve in the machine, looking suddenly forlorn.

The launderette — usually a place of waiting, repetition and monotony — was briefly transformed into something intensely private. What began as a public embrace ended in solitary reflection, all within the span of a wash cycle.

It was a fleeting moment, and one I was very pleased to capture. The image has since appeared in several exhibitions, made into a postcard and is included in my book Brick Lane.

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