E8: The Heart of Hackney

About

E8: The Heart of Hackney is an exhibition of work about the E8 area of Hackney by eight contemporary artists. Rather than a mere surface reading of this rapidly transforming area the artists approach their subject from obliquely unexpected angles to challenge any preconceptions that visitors to and residents of the area may have. The work in the show ranges from the political to the psychogeographical, from quirky to beautiful and from fun to thought provoking and takes in photography, painting, sculpture, drawing, audio and interactive walks.

E8 resident Tom Hunter is showing a haunting image of his local park - London Fields. Hunter was recently the first photographer to show his work at The National Gallery.

walkwalkwalk are producing a specially tailored walk around the E8 area which will be available to visitors of the gallery to participate in. The walk will be marked by stops at a number of chip shops where special E8 chip forks will be available. Read about the progress of this project on the E8 Chipshop Blog

Barbaresi & Round have been interviewing the area's senior residents and will be making work in the gallery inspired by the stories and reminiscences they have been told

Emily Cole's paintings are inspired by walking and talking in E8. She is particularly focusing on where E8 goes for leisure, depicting places such as the London Fields Lido in a painterly mix of fluorescent colours and sump oil.

Matthew Stock is using surveliance cameras to beam different areas of the Regent Studio block directly into Transition Gallery

Gary O'Connor's writing merges fact and fiction and is often combined with installation and audio. For E8 his work focuses on a real experience he had of being trapped in the Regent Studios lift. O'Connor has contributed to a number of publications including the recent collection of artists' fiction 'The Alpine Adventures of Victor B'

Hilary Jack's practice includes recycling and repairing unwanted objects. She has collected a group of objects from the E8 streets which she will be repairing and displaying in the gallery.

Laura Oldfield Ford's cult fanzine, Savage Messiah, involves a psychogeoraphical look at different areas in London combining cultural theory with her own fiercely political outlook. Her E8 drift will combine pertinent text with romantically dreamy drawings.

There is a publication to accompany the E8 show with texts by a number of writers including Iain Sinclair, Charlie Porter and Ruth Jarvis