PHOTOGRAPHY|PHOTO ESSAY|WRITING\CREATIVE WRITING
Shooting London
An urban juxtaposition in London’s East End
As an amateur street photographer I follow the Texas Rangers motto, “Shoot first, ask questions later”. If I come across an urban scene that’s telling me a story but I can’t quite figure out what that story is at first sight, I’ll still press ‘click’. I can always look at the photo later and jump to my own conclusions.
That’s what happened with the photo above. I was out with a group leading them around Brick Lane when I chanced upon this lot. They were Socialist Workers Party staff and volunteers handing out copies of their weekly newspaper and talking to passers-by.
I, then, spotted the Levi’s ad behind them and knew I had to snap both wall and human. There they were, plotting capitalism’s downfall, and one of their much-hated economic system’s symbols, was looking down on them. Like a pantomime villain the audience keeps pointing their fingers at whilst shouting: “He’s behind you!”
The photo also reminded me of a passage in my book, Cuban, Immigrant, and Londoner. In it I describe a scene that used to greet me every day outside Edmonton Green overground station. Before the station was refurbished and upgraded, there used to be a newspaper vendor inside, in the ticket hall. A copy of The Daily Mail was always prominently positioned facing out towards incoming passengers. Outside, on either side of the station entrance there was a Jehovah’s Witness stall flogging the Watchtower and a Socialist Workers Party stand promoting their newspaper.
One day, just before I made my way into the station I stopped outside and looked at the three of them. The front pages of the three publications had identical end-of-the-world headlines. Fatalism served by the God-fearing, the scaremongering (The Daily Mail is famous for its negative and pessimistic outlook on society), and the Stalin-apologists. Sadly, this was pre-smartphone. What a photo that would have been!
What made me chuckle when I went home and had a good look at the picture above was that I was sure that amongst the comrades, there was one, or maybe two whose skin was in close contact with a 501. Whether they also got the experience or not is beside the point. I got my moment of urban juxtaposition.
You can buy me a coffee here.