Category: Art
The Gentle Author has recently published local photographer Phil Maxwell's thirty year study of ordinary life in the East end's legendary Brick Lane, taking us through social and cultural shifts with intimate shots of the local population at work and at play. The photos are currently on display at the Rich Mix Cultural Centre situated at the top of Brick Lane.
Biography:
Phil was born in 1953 in Coventry, West Midlands. From an early age he was inspired by the people around him and had his first dalliance with photography at the tender age of eleven. He moved to East London and was quickly seduced by its vibrancy and influences from far flung countries. Over the span of 30 years he incessantly photographed and hence documented the lives of those in his own proximity, saying that 'During my life in Whitechapel I have been introduced to a wide variety of cultures and friends, which in turn have inspired me to travel. I have photographed in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia many times, although the centre of gravity in my work has always been the East End of London. My home is a tower block in Whitechapel. Over the years, from my flat on the eleventh floor, I have watched as the skyline of the city resonated with growth and demolition. In the early eighties, Canary Wharf emerged in the East as a solitary foot soldier for Capitalism and then the City of London itself began to expand. Yet whilst the corporate development gathered speed, the lives of people on my side of Brick Lane carried on as usual.'
Phil Maxwell will be giving a talk on Brick Lane at the Bishopsgate Institute on 10th April at 7:30pm and Waterstones Piccadilly on 14th May at 7pm. Both events are free. Find out more here.