The East End - My Backyard

The East End

Some might say that when searching for adventure, start in your own backyard. When your backyard is London, its almost too easy.

I am in a study abroad program at Queen Mary University, which is situated in the East End. The East End was historically a poorer area of London made notorious at one point for the murders committed by one Jack the Ripper. The area has long been populated by immigrants and refugees, first the Hugenots, then Irish and Jewish families, and now Bangladeshis. More recently the area has been recognized as a hipster hot spot, famous for its rich art culture.

It is also home to the famous Brick Lane, a street filled with curry houses (that each promise they have been awarded the best curry in the world), and Spitalfields Marketplace, an upscale covered market. BC provided us with a free "alternative" east end tour in february, which gave me background information on the east end as well as new knowledge into the fascinating world of street art. The tour guide made it clear to not confuse street art with graffiti, which is in essence just individuals tagging property. Street artists often travel around the world creating signature pieces of art on either authorized or unauthorized property. It is so special because of both the speed these pieces are usually created in and the techniques used (most often spray paint).

Really great curry house I ate at on Brick Lane

I revisited the East End with two friends this week (a convenient two stops on the tube from our school), and was once again struck by what a cool area it is. Hidden among the art galleries and trendy cafes are some astounding pieces often with even stronger messages. You wont find the poshness of South Kensington, or propriety of the West End here. Instead it is a place for the clashing of culture, creativity and ideas, which creates an undeniably exciting energy. The dynamic nature of the East End can not be denied as we saw a new piece that had been revealed only a few short weeks since we had last been there, where the artist had used explosives to reveal an image etched in the concrete underneath. I mean who comes up with that?

Danielle and I in Shoreditch

Concrete street art

Danielle and Jenny Spitalfields Market

Street Artis - ROA, can you believe this was done in 8 hours??

Stik - an artist who was once homeless now sells out prints of his work!

The sunshine gave us the motivation to continue exploring and we ended up in Shoreditch, an area with a similar story to the East End in that it used to be considered not a great part of town and is now an up and coming area with great nightlife. These parts of London may not be the most famous but for a university student I think they are fantastic.