A and not THE.

Let’s be clear from the get-go that what we are talking about is A, or one, interpretive history of London’s East End through the prism of photography and, arguably, property and labor by esteemed archivist/documentarian Chris Dorley Brown, whose recent book A History of the East End, published by Nouveau Palais documents the borough of Hackney (primarily) from the mid-1980s until the present. Within the book, a semi-autobiographical picture of London’s East End emerges. Within the context of the book lies Dorley Brown’s exceptional and quiet photographs of London. The book was released at a time when the great EU experiment failed and a profound time of reflection about British land, people, and identity was underway. Looking back at geography, Hackney is an intriguing prospect as it has undergone massive change, particularly to its property and economic status in the post-2012 Olympics.

Having lived in Hackney Borough for the last years of my stay in London, I feel a deep passion for the images in this book. I arrived in London in the mid-200s and remember the distinct feeling of traveling to Hackney and Homerton to use a renegade darkroom. When I first arrived in London, Hackney still had an edge to it and was different from the pram-pushing gingerbread latte universe that it has become. It felt dangerous on a Saturday night. Getting a drunken bagel cure or late-night kebab still felt a bit wide-open, renegade, and seething with dangerous (didn’t say unexciting) possibilities. Warehouse parties, lots of molly, and lots of music made Hackney an exciting place. I miss those times, but those times…

Every person who travels to London has a history with it. This history is different depending on how you get there and how you assess your time. It can be transient, as is my case, but it can also root you to the banter and brilliance found along its climes. The East End is particularly fascinating with its history of Jack the Ripper, David Bailey, and the Krays, the East Enders. Hackney has an exceptionally mixed history from Stamford Hill to Dalston and further East; the mix of immigrants and working-class native British blend and offers a shared experience of working-class life. This is what gives the borough of Hackney is a rich life. The geography is full of warehouses and (now cleaned up) natural reservoirs and canals. Then there is the Hackney Marshes, which offers an oddly idyllic location next to the former factories and industrial workspaces.

Dorley Brown’s work is often silent and does not frequently feature people, allowing the viewer to look at the place. If you have lived in Hackney, you will feel the photographs intimately. If you have not, you will appreciate the nearly cinematic set pieces that Dorley Brown crafts. There is a stillness to them that is hard to place, but I am reminded of establishing shots in film. There is also the notion of geographic memory to suggest. With this in mind, the empty areas and the cinematic are reminders of a particular era of an impressive and varied place. You do not have to know much about Hackney to enjoy this, but it helps…