Commercial Street
The three photographs below are a sequence taken in a few seconds on Commercial Street in the 1980’s. I feel the images tell their own story as well as raising issues around wealth inequality and low pay.
Commercial Street, mid 1980's
Commercial Street, mid 1980's
Commercial Street, mid 1980's
Bus Therapy
Bus stops can be harbingers of anger and joy. The frustration caused by the ‘lack of a bus’ can seal a bond between waiting passengers which can erupt in therapeutic conversations. Bus stops also facilitate meetings between familiars and strangers.
Two people wait for the arrival of a bus, Commercial Road 1990
The man below seems unlikely to begin a conversation with fellow passengers and is firmly focused on the arrival of the bus.
Man sitting on a bollard next to a bus stop, Commercial Street 1986
The passengers waiting for the bus in Dhaka (below) have to negotiate mud before they get on the bus. Despite this, getting on and off a bus in Dhaka is quite a well organised affair designed to maximise the number of passengers carried.
People waiting at a bus stop in Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009
Two passengers jump off the 38 bus, Hackney 1998
Passengers alighting from a 'long distance' bus, Bangladesh 2009
Two people wait for a bus in Whitechapel market, London 2009
Finally the magnificently attired lady below caught my eye as I was cycling in Aldgate. As soon as I saw her I got off my bike (which can be seen on the right of the photograph) in order to photograph her. I shot two frames, one of which has already been used in an earlier blog .
I must have been standing directly in front of her for about 30 seconds. She was oblivious to my presence, possibly because she was looking for the bus to come around the corner! After shooting my two frames I cycled home to process the film which contained work for the Local Government Chronicle. As usual it was my spontaneous street photography which I was eager to see rather than the commissioned work. Typically it was a case of largely boring paid assignments subsidising my documentary and experimental work.
Lady waiting at a temporary bus stop, Aldgate 1988
Street Walking
One of the joys of living in Whitechapel is that the numerous streets facilitate spontaneous meetings between friends and neighbours. A visit to the market will usually be punctuated by an unexpected conversation with someone you’ve not spoken to for months or even years.
Two women converse on Whitechapel Rd, 1987
Streets are a cities capillaries that bring people and ideas together. A street encounter is more enduring than being ‘poked’ on facebook.
Shopping Mall in Melaka, Malaysia 2008
Towns or cities that evolve around a culture of car travel and shopping malls strip people of an informal means of communication.
Two women converse, Brick Lane 2009
In the UK we take our streets for granted and I berate friends who always travel around in their car and miss the sustainable joys of street walking.
Street conversation, New York 2005
Many countries will build roads and shopping malls before they think of pedestrians. After all pedestrians are people who don’t have a car and a disposable income.
Street talk, Paris 2011
Archways, Bridges and Underground
I’ve always been attracted to subways, bridges and other structures designed to facilitate the passage of people. The extreme lighting conditions of these places often produce silhouettes which can emphasize both the man made structure as well as the people walking through it.
Underpass at Aldgate East, London 1988
Bridge in Central Park, New York 2005
Archway in Marrakech, 2004
Underpass in New York, 2005
Bridge linking Whitechapel Rd and Durward St, Whitechapel 1998
Stephen Watts
I could listen to Stephen Watts reading his poetry for hours. When he writes about the East End I feel he has somehow unlocked my brain, spilled the contents out on the floor and rearranged the memories into a mosaic of urban elegance. I always think of him as ‘the East End poet’. This is simply one aspect of his work as he has supported many poets from outside Europe and endevoured to get their work translated and read by a wider public. His own work has also been translated into other languages.
Stephen Watts reading his poems at the Tate Britain, 2010
Stephen has worked in many schools to introduce children to poetry. For decades he has encouraged other poets and taken his own work to many community events.
Stephen Watts, Whitechapel 2011
He is equally at home reading to an audience of hundreds at the Tate Britain as he is in a field reading his work to visitors to an urban farm.
Stephen Watts, Whitechapel 2011
When I first heard him reading his poetry at a community event many years ago I was intrigued by his appearance and put him on my list of people to photograph!
Stephen Watts, Whitechapel 2011
