Photography in a disused WW2 bunker? Yes, there's more to Dalston than trendies and winos.
Dalston is a funny old place. We all know it's the trendiest thing in town (apart from maybe Peckham or Deptford) but what of its history? Does it even have any? In some minds it's simply rows of horrible (but bloody useful) pound shops, with the odd grotty-cool underground bar/club dotted around, as well as various multi-purpose arts venues holding everything from wacky conceptual art projects to sweaty punk gigs. That's Dalston – well that and the new station and all the “improvements” imposed upon it by the insatiable march of sterilisation in the run up to 2012.
Well for those looking for a bit more information about Dalston's history, a good place to start is Open Dalston, a blog that catalogues the appalling treatment of the area meted out by the local council. You should read about the scandal of Dalston's £40 million Olympic bus stop – it really is a disgrace.
But anyway, it's all very well moaning about things on blogs, but sometimes it takes a bit of an event to really bind people together. And coming up this July is just such an event, hopefully. In a disused World War II bunker on Ashwin Street in Dalston (who even knew they had bunkers there?) an exhibition is taking place that seeks to place a bit of emphasis, not on the trendies, the neglect or the officially sanctioned massacre, but back on the local people, who've spent their lives, living and working in Dalston.
Dalston Project – A Community Profile features photographic portraits, taken by Nick Aldridge, of people as diverse as stall-holders at Ridley Road Market, the Reverend of St Mark's, Dalston, the owner of Dalston Superstore, the manager of a Chinese restaurant, the owner of the area's only independent music shop, and several local residents.
Some of their stories are fascinating – the Reverend apparently has to continually repair his church when bullets get shot through the stained glass windows, and several of the stall-holders travelled the world only to settle in Dalston 20 years ago because it was the one place they felt accepted.
Intriguing images in a weird location that document uniquely local people and their histories – this is exactly the kind of thing we love.
Dalston Project – A Community Profile is open from 14th-25th July, 12pm-8pm Wed-Sun, Ashwin Street Dalston, E8.
For more information, check out: www.dalstonproject.blogspot.com
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