How do we remember?
Hackney 365:
This second part of the exhibition is the culmination of a photographic project in Hackney . The same photograph was taken every day for a year. I was not in Hackney every day so it took longer than a year to collect the 365 photos in the slide show.They were not taken at the same time of the day. I chose a cycle and pedestrian crossing across a main through road in Hackney. People pass through at great pace and my project captured a fleeting history.
The photo was taken as soon as the camera was set up. (This rule was broken on only two or three occasions.) The camera captures a fleeting moment. The momentary memory of that instant has been captured in the drawings ,paintings and lithographs. Also I wanted to try and capture all the images together, hence the contact sheet. Traditionally in photography most images and memories are discarded from the contact sheet for ever. I have preserved all the images. As memories get reinterpreted and changed so do these images as they are reinterpreted in different media, stripped back to the barest essentials from the memory of the photo image.
The slide show, although on a loop, is in date order. The works are arranged to follow the chronology of the slide show.
Adam Forman March 2019
One reply on “Hackney 365”
Hi Adam, a.k.a Dr Forman,
I’m not sure if you would remember me (and my family). We used to see you at the Hoxton Surgery with my mother Carole Bell and my sister of the same name. I believe you also saw my grandfather Santiago Bell.
Santiago Bell, sculptor and politician arrived in the U.K. in 1975 after being expelled from Chile after the 1973 coup. He settled in Cambridge where he exhibited his work for the first time in 1976 at Lion’s Yard.
In the early 1980’s Santiago moved to Bow in London’s East End. Along with Lord Andrew Mawson (OBE) and a collective of local artists, he founded what would become the Bromley By Bow Centre, working with disadvantaged and disabled people to help them realize their full potential.
He created an impressive body of work using his ethos that scrap wood, just like people overlooked by mainstream society, could be shaped into something incredible. In the early 90’s his worked was exhibited widely and gained recognition. However Santiago’s concept of what becoming a successful artist meant, was different to most people’s. He refused to sell his sculptures and challenged the notion of art as a commercial commodity.
He passed away in Hoxton in 2005 quite suddenly and it has taken us a number of years to rescue the collection and bring them back home to Cambridge.
Our aim is to restore the sculptures to their former glory and exhibit them in an accessible venue for local people to enjoy and engage with, and perhaps be inspired by his message that art can be a trans formative tool for both individuals and societies.
For more details about the artwork and our crowd funding campaign, please click on the link below.
https://www.santiagobell.com/
Do get in contact and circulate to anyone who you believe may be interested!
Kind regards,
Micaela