Global Voices In Bangladesh
I’ve visited Bangladesh many times and I try to keep up with events in the country. I was dismayed to hear recently that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has been ordered to block 35 news sites. No reasons are given for the ban. But some of the sites have carried reporting that is critical of the government, says citizen media network Global Voices.
I only have positive memories of Bangladesh. The last time I was there was in 2009. Below are a variety of photographs I have taken there over the years.
Dhaka Bangladesh c.1994
Young man outside a book shop in Dhaka, 2008
Dhaka Bangladesh c.1994
A hair cut and shave in the shade. Sylhet, Bangladesh 1994
c 1994
Boy looking after vegetable stall, Chittagong 2008
Boy selling cigarettes in Dhaka, 1994
Women workers in a tea garden, Sylhet, Bangladesh 1992
Boy running next to a train, Bangladesh 1992
Babies in a rickshaw, Bangladesh 1996
Sunamganj, Sylhet Bangladesh 1992
Bus in motion, Dhaka Bangladesh 1991
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“An extract from Phil Maxwell’s Modern Magic Lantern Show’ (short film)
Brick Lane Over The Years
I’ve traversed Brick Lane for nearly forty years. During that time it has changed dramatically. When I first arrived many of the building along the Lane were derelict and empty. There were a number of empty patches of land hidden by sheets of corrugated iron. There were only a few Bangladeshi eateries and a handful of small businesses and workshops. Here are some photographs of Brick Lane taken recently with photographs from the early 1980s onwards.
Brick Lane 2016
Brick Lane c.1992
Brick Lane 2016
Brick Lane c.1986
Brick Lane 2016
Brick Lane c.1985
Brick Lane 2012
Brick Lane c.1984
Brick Lane 2002
Brick Lane c.1993
Brick Lane 2010
Brick Lane c.1993
Brick Lane 2012
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Bethnal Green Road Over The Years (4)
Its amazing to think that Bethnal Green Road was just farmland until the later 18th century. By 1836 there were 1,163 houses north of Bethnal Green Road and 1,976 to the south. I wonder what a visitor from the 18th century would think of the road today. I have walked up and down the road for nearly forty years and in that time it has changed radically. Here are some recent and old images I have collected during that time.
Bethnal Green Road 2016
Anti-Racist demonstration Bethnal Green Road 1992
Bethnal Green Road 2016
The BNP on Bethnal Green Road (top of Brick Lane) c.1990
Bethnal Green Road 2016
Bethnal Green Road c.1989
Bethnal Green Road 2016
Bethnal Green Road c.1984
Bethnal Green Road 2016
Bethnal Green Road c.1984
Bethnal Green Road 2016
The Golden Heart Pub Spitalfields
During my life I’ve visited many pubs and bars all over the world. Possibly the one I’ve visited most is the Golden Heart pub in Spitalfields. My friend Sandra Esqulant is the licensee and is one of the oldest residents around Spitalfields Market. The pub has changed over the years due to its proximity to the City of London and Brick Lane. In the past local residents, market workers and artists were the main clientele. Today there are more tourists. Nevertheless you can still find times when the pub is not packed with tourists; afternoons and early week day evenings are my favourite times. If you are lucky you may even meet the charismatic Sandra who is often referred to as ‘the Queen of Spitalfields’.
The Golden Heart pub 2010
Commercial Street by The Golden Heart pub, Spitalfields 2001
The Golden Heart pub 2010
Lawrence in the Golden Heart pub, 1998
Sandra (photographing me) in the golden heart 2010
Rose in the bar of the Golden Heart Pub c.2000
The Golden Heart pub, London 2008
Sandra (below) has appeared in a number of films I’ve made with Hazuan Hashim about the East End of London.
Sandra during a film interview, 2013
Golden Heart Pub c.2008
Rose at ‘The Golden Heart’ c.2000
Sandra 2007
Sandra, Commercial Street c.1999
Sandra (above) is an expert with the Hula Hoop and can occasionally be seen performing in and outside the pub.
Sandra with her Hula Hoop in the Golden Heart. London 2005
A woman passes a painting of Sandra. Hanbury Street, London 2012
Sandra, 2008
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Petticoat Lane Over The Years
More than a thousand stalls spread over two streets make up Petticoat Lane Market. I’ve walked up and down it hundreds of times in the last 35 years. Unfortunately it’s not as lively as it was; many decades ago it was packed with shoppers from all over the East End. The market has been operating since the 1750’s or earlier and is named after the petticoats and lace once sold there by the Huguenots who came to London from France. The street was renamed Middlesex Street in 1830 by the Victorians who wanted to avoid references to women’s underwear, but the name has stuck. Today the market specialises in new goods ranging from running shoes to kitchen utensils.
Petticoat Lane c.1988
Petticoat Lane 2002
Petticoat Lane c.1988
Petticoat Lane 2003
Petticoat Lane c.1986
Petticoat Lane 2003
Petticoat Lane c.1989
Petticoat Lane 2003
Petticoat Lane c.1989
Shoe shop Petticoat Lane 2014
