Ever since construction commenced on the 2012 Olympic village, the world’s eyes have been transfixed on East London; an area which renowned photographer, David Bailey, however has been observing and documenting his whole life.

A genuine East-ender through and through, Bailey expresses his admiration and love for his homeland by centring his latest retrospective on the area and its people. The exhibition entitled David Bailey’s East End, displays an edited collection of work from his impressive fifty-year archive with a specific focus on three decades; the Sixties, Eighties and the present.

Early candid shots depict scenes of children playing, women shopping and men drinking (very much the stereotypical roles of a working class Britain,) whilst other images focus purely on the past environment of places such as Bricklane, Whitechapel and Canning Town, largely representing the deprivation, dereliction and decay of East London during this period. Interestingly, assembled scaffolding boards and poles act as the wall mount for this display; perhaps as a reference to the most recent regeneration.

A hint of the glamour most commonly associated with Bailey’s fashion photographs only begins to emerge in the Eighties series with a number of images capturing his wife and famous fashion model, Catherine, elegantly posing next to the Royal Docks (the very location which the exhibition itself takes place). The placement of these alluring shots are cleverly contrasted against panoramas portraying towering steel cranes, dilapidated warehouses and sullied factory sites accentuating the once vast unsightly industrialism of the East London cityscape.

From Sixties Cockney boozers to the streetscapes of present today, this display is photojournalism at its best, effectively documenting the altering physical and social landscapes of East London over the past fifty years.

David Bailey’s East End is on now until 5 August at Create London, Compressor House, Royal Docks, London.
createlondon.org

Tags: David Bailey, East End