Exhibition
This is Whitechapel
11 Mar 2011 – 3 Sep 2011
Regular hours
- Friday
- 11:00 – 18:00
- Saturday
- 11:00 – 18:00
- Sunday
- 11:00 – 18:00
- Tuesday
- 11:00 – 18:00
- Wednesday
- 11:00 – 18:00
- Thursday
- 11:00 – 21:00
Cost of entry
Free
Address
- 77-82 Whitechapel High Street
- London
- e1 7qx
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Bus: 25, 205, 254
- Aldgate East / Aldgate
- Liverpool Street
About
Much like today, east London in the 1970s was undergoing rapid social and economic change. As the established Jewish community moved away and a south Asian population took their place, the Whitechapel Gallery commissioned leading British photographer Ian Berry, to document this period of transition.A member of the photojournalist organisation Magnum, Berry had established a reputation for his street photography. He captured a now distant history of iconic local landmarks, such as Bloom's kosher restaurant, the Blind Beggar pub, Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane markets and the people who lived in Whitechapel and Spitalfields to create a major exhibition.
His project is brought vividly to life through the Gallery's archives of original photographs, letters and rarely-seen documents. As east London prepares for change once more with the 2012 Olympics, this exhibition is an opportunity to see what the area was like 40 years ago.
This is Whitechapel presents over 30 photographs by Berry from the 1972 commission alongside films and books produced at the same time about east London, such as Tunde's Film directed and produced by Maggie Pinhorn and Tunde Ikoli.
Supported by:
The Foyle Foundation.
The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
In collaboration with the cooperative photography agency, Magnum Photos.
Printing by Metro Imaging.
With thanks to Maggie Pinhorn.