Illuminate
What was it like to live in London's East End twenty, fifty and seventy years ago? Hear from older generations as they share stories from daily life in Tower Hamlets
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Shining a light on memories of East London
Illuminate was a programme and exhibit running from 2020 to 2021 that explored memories through light, centred on the older generations of London's East End.
Follow our Story and hear from our participants and their Illuminate journey.
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Connecting with elders in the community
In collaboration with Rich Mix, local light artist Martin Richman ran a series of workshops with Heritage Learning Facilitator Halima Khanom to shine a light on personal histories from elder generations of East London’s communities.
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The feeling of remembering
Personal objects and memories shared within the group sparked storytelling and connections, which Martin used as basis to create 'Shards of Light, the Feeling of Remembering', a permanent light installation reflecting the history and dynamism of the area.
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After a month of online discussions with the group...
Martin invited the participants to his studio, to preview the light installations and illustrations he'd created from their recollections and memories.
The Illuminate participants visit Martin Richman's studio by Rich MixRich Mix
A day to remember
It was a moving experience for many of our group, to see how Martin had interpreted their stories from the East End.
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"Tower Hamlets was a microcosm of how the world might live and what the world could do. We 'did' things – and that community culture spread all through the East End, and finally funnelled right through our city.”
– John Baker
Illuminate (21st Century) by Barbara BeasleyRich Mix
Barbara Beasley
"When l was 14 and 15, l used to go to a weekly radio show by the Embankment. They had different '60s group each week. I saw The Beatles perform before they were famous. Me and my friends landed up with sore throats as we screamed our heads off."
Illuminate (21st Century) by Debbie O'BrienRich Mix
Debbie O'Brien
"When the kids were small, we used to walk through Tower Hamlets cemetery – it wasn’t a park then! Now it’s been transformed, and while the old jungle look was wild it couldn’t have been used by everyone who goes there now – and there are so many beautiful trees, bushes, flowers and paths to get lost in."
Illuminate (21st Century) by Linda BryanRich Mix
Lynda Bryan
“The heart of the East End is a state of mind. A welcoming, sharing place that I still believe exists."
Illuminate (21st Century) by Pamela MossmanRich Mix
Pamela Mossman
"My dad used to cycle home from work on Saturday afternoon for lunch, and there was three of us with sixpence each. We'd buy a block of Wall’s ice cream, and then we could have the sweets we had chosen..."
Illuminate (21st Century) by Sheila McCainRich Mix
Sheila McCain
"My sister and I used to cycle to the local swimming baths and when we came out there was a baker where we used to buy a penny loaf, they baked in tiny little tins with Hovis on the side, we were so hungry after our swim we had a little loaf each."
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'Shards of Light, The Feeling of Remembering'
The project culminated in summer 2021, with Martin Richman's launch of 'Shards of Light, The Feeling of Remembering', a series of light boxes that beautifully animated the memories shared in our Illuminate sessions.
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Memories and light
Alongside Martin's installations, we featured the photography and memories shared by our group. The private view was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how memories are refracted over time, and our group's changing impressions of the ever-evolving East End.
Illuminate (21st Century) by Rich MixRich Mix
Brighten the mood
After the exhibition, we hosted two intergenerational family days online, creating ‘memory lampshades’ from acetate and hanging mementos.
During these sessions we worked with Art Hoppers and the British Bangladeshi Poetry Collective to encourage conversations across families.
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Conversations ranged from recalling stories of arrival in UK from Bangladesh in early 1970s and interests in Indian Hindi films of the time.
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Illuminating our histories
Martin Richman's work 'Shards of Light, The Feeling of Remembering' now features as a permanent exhibit at Rich Mix, for many more generations to enjoy, and hopefully prompt discussions with their family and community.
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In memory of John Baker and John McCain
"[The East End] was lovely, young and old, I enjoyed the mix of people and have done so ever since."
— John McCain
Created in collaboration with Martin Richman, Halima Khanom and Rich Mix.
Credits to John Baker, Barbara Beasley, Debbie O'Brien, Linda Bryan, John McCain, Sheila McCain and Pamela Mossman for their generous contributions of memories and photography.
Illuminate is a Rich Mix commission. This project is part of Here and Now – a national and local celebration of culture within communities. 40 brand new projects will take place in and around 40 arts centres across the country, led by artists and co-created with local people. The project is supported by Arts Council England and Future Arts Centres, marking The National Lottery’s 25th birthday.
