Stairs to Spitalfields
The stairs below in Pauline House, Spitalfields are rarely used as two lifts service the 17 floors. The concrete steps are mainly an escape mechanism in case of fire or a refuge for smoking youths who wish to depart overcrowded flats and engage in stairwell bonding.
Stairs in Pauline House, 1996
Limited light and utilitarian design combine at times to grace this space with an allure that steps at nearby Spitalfields Christchurch (below) could never compete with.
Christchurch Spitalfields, 1986
The utilitarian luminosity of the Pauline House stairwell is equally a match for the staircase (below) to the first floor of the Whitechapel gallery.
Whitechapel gallery staircase, 1989
Possibly the most malevolent staircase in Spitalfields (below) engaged the bridge joining the old cobbled street Fleet Street Hill near Allen Gardens and Cheshire Street. Regrettably the iconic shortcut was sacrificed to the Crossrail project.
Fleet Street Hill staircase, 1988
Street Chairs
Remove an object from its usual environment and it can loose its natural elegance or perhaps take on a new persona.
Chair on Brick Lane with leaves, 1998
The abandoned chair on Brick Lane (above) appears to have entered a dialogue with its new environment. The upholstered frills at the base of the chair appear to mimic the Autumn leaves which move freely on the road. There is something about a comfortable chair on a street which makes it more inviting than a chair in a lounge in a house.
Two chairs on Brick Lane with seated woman, 1998
The woman above has seized the opportunity to view the movable tapestry of trendy pedestrians on Brick Lane from the comfort of the abandoned chairs next to the shutter closing an entrance into part of the Truman brewery complex. Someone has already taken the seat cushions but the chair is still a comfortable temporary alternative to standing.
Chair in concrete skip, 2006
Despite the removal of its seat cushion the striped chair above still manages to retain some of its former elegance in the concrete skip which prepares it for recycling.
Porters
According to the NHS Careers website “porters play a vital role throughout the hospital. They move frail and often very ill patients between different departments and wards in safety and comfort. They also transport complex and valuable equipment that may need expert handling around the building.” It is reassuring that an organisation that has so many highly qualified staff can acknowledge in connection with porters that “Without them the hospital could not function.” No formal qualifications are required to be a porter but I can confirm from experience that refined and sensitive communication skills are essential.
The basement Corridor at St Bartholomew's Hospital, 2011
I recall taking the photograph above whilst being pushed by a hospital porter in my bed. I remember this incident particularly as I mentioned to the porter how the journey he was taking me on reminded me of the film ‘The Shining’ with Jack Nicholson. Both the conversation and the photograph were influenced by class A drugs but I remember a long conversation with the porter pushing my bed (which was both my crane and dolly) about the joys of Jack Nicholson.
Porters at the Royal London hospital, 2005
A few years ago I photographed the porters (above) at the London hospital when I was photographer in residence there. They were kind enough to guide me to intriguing and hidden places which were to disappear in the impending refurbishment. With their help I was able to capture some fascinating forgotten spaces of the hospital which have since disappeared.
Market porters in Bangladesh, Dhaka 1995
These porters paused briefly for me to take their photograph in the port area of Dhaka. They remind me of the porters at the London hospital despite their less formal pose.
A Few Minutes in a Cheshire Street Cafe
Just a few minutes in a Cheshire Street Cafe. It was a pleasure photographing the two subjects at the table next to me but I must confess I was also drawn by the wallpaper.
Two men in a Cheshire Street Cafe, 1984
It was almost compulsory to smoke in a cafe in those days and the atmosphere would become foggier as the day progressed. The second photograph (below) was taken after the man on the right had rolled his own cigarette from tobacco in the tin on the table.
Two men in a Cheshire Street Cafe, 1984
Two Men Kissing
Two gay men were recently asked to leave the John Snow pub in Soho for kissing. Staff at the pub described their behaviour as ‘obscene’.
Two men kissing, 1990
If like me you missed the kiss in the Soho pub. Here are a couple of kisses to be getting on with!
Two men kissing in a Soho Square, 1999
The two men above are kissing in Soho Square in 1999 at a meeting called to show outrage at the bombing of the gay pub in Soho, The Admiral Lord Duncan in 1999. The bomb killed three people and injured many others. Subsequently David Copeland was charged and found guilty of the dreadful crime. He was given six life sentences for his thirteen day reign of terror in London.
Peter Tatchell speaking at the meeting in Soho Square
Human Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell spoke at the meeting and addressed the need for society to oppose homophobia in all its forms. It is thanks to campaigners like Peter and others that gains have been made in LGBT rights.
Paul Boateng at Soho Square
Future Chief Secretary of the Treasury Paul Boateng (above) also spoke at the hurriedly organised but well attended meeting.
