The Multiple Aesthetics of Shoreditch

The multiple aesthetics of

/SHOREDITCH ISABELA DE FREITAS MARCELINO UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON 1

The multiple aesthetics of

SHOREDITCH BACKGROUND, RESEARCH AND CONCEPT REPORT "To ‘liberate’, means literally to set free from some kind of fetters that obstructs or thwart the movements; to start feeling free to move or act.

To ‘feel free’ means to experience no hindrance, obstacle, resistance or any other impediment to the moves intended or conceivable to be desired - Zygmunt Bauman, Liquid Modernity

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The project

BRIEF

THE MULTIPLE AESTHETICS OF SHOREDITCH is a Product Design Project intended to settle an outline over the several visual characters present in the district of Shoreditch, in the area of East London, translating the gathered information into pieces of urban furniture to be finally displayed as a pop-up space.

Supported by a framework referred as in-context immersion, the project is a development of the undergraduate student Isabela de Freitas Marcelino, to be held within a period of two years, counting with a collective of images and reports regarding the main plastic experiences obtained among selected spots of the area.

The main objective of the work is to arouse attention to the multiple identities which cohabit in the area of Shoreditch, valuing these characteristics and inviting not only the inner population but also the usual visitors to take part in it through an entertaining designed space to be portrayed as a pop-up square, comprehending square as a point of meeting.

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Schedule and Methodologies

PLANNING

/ JAN. 2014 - JAN. 2015 / IN-CONTEXT IMMERSION Be part of the context is an effective technique to closely observe people in their real settings, acting and behaving as they normally do with the less possible interference. This method allows experiencing the situation as a whole, understanding its relations and peculiarities in order to design better solutions based on tangible perspectives.

In accordance with the premises of the project, living in East London for the period of one year will provide crucial information to take the project forward. At this stage, the efforts will be directed to the project setting, during the first 6 months and, then, researching and data collecting, to be held for the following 6 months, figuring as part of the placement programme at University of East London, supervised by Paul Lighterness.

At the end of the proposed activities, the Project Report is planned to assemble the found results and relevant information as a document to support the next stages of the project.

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OCT. 2014 - NOV. 2015 / PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Based on the collected information, including image data and, primary, supported by the Project Report, the product development has as its purpose achieve a solution of urban furniture able to translate the multiple aesthetics of the district of Shoreditch, contemplating their icons and semantic roles.

DEC. 2015 / FINAL PRESENTATION As the processes of research and product development are finished, the final results will beexhibited as part of the Graduation Project of Isabela de Freitas Marcelino, Product Design student at Escola de Design

- Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais. The presentation and all the project achievements will be submitted to the evaluation of a review board.

JAN. 2014 - JUN. 2014 JUN. 2014 - SEP. 2014 OCT. 2014 - JAN. 2015 OCT. 2014 - NOV. 2014 DEC. 2014 - JAN. 2015 NOV. 2014 - FEB. 2015 FEB. 2015 - MAR. 2015 MAR. 2015 - JUN. 2015 JUN. 2015 - AUG. 2015 AUG. 2015 - SEP. 2015 OCT. 2015 - NOV. 2015 NOV. 2015 - DEC. 2015 DEC. 2015

PROJECT SETTING RESEARCH REPORT FORMATTING CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT IDEAS AND ALTERNATIVES MODEL MAKING RSA SUBMISSION REFINEMENTS MODEL TESTING FINAL SOLUTION PROTOTYPING PRESENTATION SETTING FINAL PRESENTATION 9

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Historic Background

OVERVIEW

Lying in the historic East End of the city of London, Shoreditch is currently known as one of the most vibrant and innovative areas in the world.

However, considering the history of the district through the years, the scenery has not been always like this.

The fact is that Shoreditch found itself neglected and forgotten, remaining this way for quite long time, especially during the 19th century, when it had descended into poverty, crime and prostitution. The subsequent decades were either no good as the area of East London was terribly bombed in the Blitz during the Second World War. Home to the working class and numerous immigrants, the district went to a period of heavily reconstruction and, by the mid of 1990’s, experienced huge changes when artists and starting creative industries moved into the borough motivated by cheap studio spaces. In a few time, Shoreditch had become recognised as a popular and trendy area of London.

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Historic Background

EAST LONDON Through an historic inquiry, the advance of Shoreditch can only be comprehended once it is considered part of East London, as their histories match one another most of the times.

All over its history, East London has been home to several migrant communities from Protestant radicals and French Huguenot weavers to Irish labourers, Jewish refugees and Bangladeshi textile workers. Featuring in the industrial heartland of the metropolis, the area has often been seen as a synonym of struggle and despair, mostly due to a massive symbolic weight conjuring up images such as Jack the Ripper, the Blitz, poverty and the fascism.

Shoreditch was then a small suburban parish laying near to London and which began to be developed on the 16th century in a modest and disjointed way, especially 14

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in the subsequent decades. Market gardens appeared, as large houses built by London merchants who were seeking a rural retreat.

In the 17th Century, however, London was experiencing a remarkable development as the largest manufacturer throughout the period and the following Century. Placed in the centre of capital’s production, East London had its increase supported by the flowing migrant labour. As a result, while some areas had reached the limits of their expansion, Shoreditch represented a space of significant growth and development. Its open fields were rapidly transformed into residential and manufacturing suburbs, containing a mix of artisans and tradesmen, some of whom were overspill from the crowded silk-weaving centre neighbouring Spitalfields.

With privileged access to the Thames, East London had not only an abundance of relatively cheap land and labour, as it could also be considered a refuge from restrictive legislation. These were fundamental factors for the prospering of maritime economy in the course of the 18th Century, while silk weaving was continually thriving in the north of the

area. As the production and the number of silk weavers steadily increased during the early decades, the poorer and numerous labouring weavers had to seek accommodation and employment nearby the emerging districts of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Mile End New Town, what is closely related to the reputation the area acquired for crime and squalor between other typical dangerous enclaves of the late 18th metropolis.

Other prominent industries in East London included sugar refining, distilling and brewing, considering the plenty of breweries and distillers which were to be established in the 18th Century London. A noticeable example is The Black Eagle brewery, founded by the Quaker Joseph Truman in 1680 on a small site of Brick Lane, which promptly became the major brewery in London. At this moment, small and cheap houses were being developed along that area, and yet, in the

following period, there was a mark of expansion as local builders were more active despite their limited resources. Brick Lane was featured as one of East End’s essential arteries, through which conveying goods carriages could travel from the waterside areas through Whitechapel to Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, Bishopsgate and Shoreditch.

Industrialization and urbanization had laid the foundations for the continued expansion the East End was yet to be witnessing in the 19th Century. Great impacts upon the cultural scenery of East London might be related to the presence of a nascent labouring class which set new manners of expression.

An intimate connection between fairs and theatres could be drawn back to the medieval carnival tradition, indorsed all through Europe. By the end of the 16th Century, Shoreditch and Stepney had been in the centre point of a flourishing English theatre movement as The Theatre and The Curtain were major examples of this culture. The end of the theatrical tradition in East London was marked by the closure of a transient theatre located in 15

Goodman's Fields, Whitechapel, as it was destroyed by fire in 1809.

Public houses, however, took the very core of popular entertaining as there could be found not only plentiful litres of alcoholic beverages - for this, which was noticeably a thirsty capital - but also warm, friendly atmospheres. Pubs were proper to meet friends, have conversations, play games, hold meetings or simply be distracted by musical and theatrical acts. It is often cited that, along the 19th Century, East London had more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in England, what accurately illustrates the popularity of this sort of place.

In this meantime, East London began to live the eruption of emerging struggles within the industrial and political scopes, impacting straight upon the internal dissections of the working population. The labour force revolved against itself as previously resentment were directed to the Huguenots settlers, and then, due to the migration of large amounts of Irish labourers ready to take work as journeymen weavers and coal heavers, anti-Irish sentiment was rapidly settled. Both in these moments and in following episodes, such as Jewish immigration, religious antagonisms served to complicate the backdrop. Whether by dissident Protestants against the established church, or by weavers and coal heavers against threats to their livelihoods, the ideas of popular culture in East London, especially prior to 1800, tend to suggest a culture of protest.

By the mid-19th Century, the small-scale workshops held in East London starkly contrasted with the industrial scenery of the area. The silk-weaving centre of Spitalfields remained tied to small-scale production using mechanical looms whereas the activity 16

represented the single most important industry in the northern parishes of East London as weavers could be found also in Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Bishopsgate and Mile End New Town.

On what refers to female labour in silk weaving production, although there were women employed, most of their opportunities of work laid out of the industry and were mainly dominated by domestic service, especially for the young, including needlework, laundry and street selling.

Small-scale production in East London also found its bases in the use of cheap labour, often in wretched, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, which were evident in the increasing presence of sweated trades, soon to dominate the economy of the area. As a result, in the late 19th century, East London found itself dominated by skilled and semi-skilled workers and their families, a condition which would determine the course of industrial struggle. These people also inhabited and largely reflected in the area’s cultural landscape.

Overall, the labouring population of East London had their lives worsened under the impacts of the industrial revolution as there was huge pressure to meet increasing demands of cheaper housing, silk, clothes, shoes and furniture, and to modernize riverside communication. In the beginning of the 19th Century approximately one third of the adult male population worked as casual labourers, and therefore endured extreme poverty.

It can be assumed that most of the workers in East London were employed in sweated workshops mostly due to the demise of staple industries and cyclical depressions. The economy in this period was dominated by tailoring, footwear and furniture.

Sweated trade has its origins drawn back to the large Jewish migration and settlement in East London. Thousands of them came from Russia, Poland and Germany appealed by the promise of work and great portion of the ones seeking labour were female. Jewish community was particular and centred one, being quite isolated and brought a powerful cultural heritage which blossomed on the streets of East London. Most part of

working-class culture experiencing change, as it was, at the same time, shaped by a cohort who built the halls and staged performances.

In the meantime, East London remained overcrowded as it has always been. There were boundaries and building restrictions, the population was increasing and the available infrastructures were extremely poor. Also, with the construction of railways many persons found themselves displaced.

By the First World War, East London was target of aerial bombing. However, as the fortunes of the industries were reversed, the real affected in the war was the families, plunged yet further into poverty. The subsequent periods were not even better as local industries were hit hard in the interwar depression, failing to respond adequately to the new economic realities. The consequences were disastrous with underemployment in industries relying on casual labour or short-term engagements, mainly considering ship-repair, clothing, and furniture and building industries.

The furniture trade of 19th Century East London, concentrated in Shoreditch was injured by subcontracting and the district was recalled by the time the fourth worst afflicted borough in London, considering all the five worst were located in East London. The sweating system had continued in the smaller trade workshops owed to the legacy and influence of Jewish. Keen to fight against perceived injustices, interwar East London converted into an important battlefield.

The entertainment and the arts industries also had their courses changed along this time as mass media experienced extraordinary growth. The cultural schemes

Jewish settlers from the 1870s found employment in the small sweated workshops, which were generally grossly overcrowded, ill-ventilated and -lit, and unsanitary. Besides of that, they lived in inadequate accommodation and undergone long hours of work.

Pictured as a battleground, East London faced the struggle for sanitary reform waged at a national level as the area was frequently hit by epidemics. Public initiatives were taken considering the incidents of fever and consumption, and yet the cholera outbreak of 1832. Priority was also given to the opening of public spaces, as a large park for the residents of East London was created, and new thoroughfares and railway lines were built.

Towards the close of the 1880s, a series of events took place in East London founding increasing concern about the social and moral degradation of the poor. The figure of Jack the Ripper was born in this period, when many prostitutes had been murdered and mutilated with extreme savagery, while a media storm erupted framing perspectives of an endemic, highly organized and predatory criminal underclass throughout the 19th century.

East Enders themselves perceived the negative portrayals to which they were subjected and reacted to it. Resentment was owed to the journalists, novelists, and conversationalists, as the inner population assumes they have written and talked about them without really knowing their realities.

In fact, it is needed to analyse closely the social schemes in the history of East London. No patronage, for everyone was welcome in the entertaining nights run there. Colour or country were considered no obstacle, and there was completely no concerning about dress and address. Lascars, blacks, jack tars, coal-heavers, dustmen and women of colour: one and all jigging together.

Extremely popular was also the music hall, which came to be hugely associated with the metropolis, especially East London. Tracing back its origins to the pubs, cheap theatres, saloons and penny gaffs of the 18th and early 19th, Music hall was strictly related to the desires of an urban 17

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were no longer driven by the civilizing mission of a middle-class, but rather by the intent to reach the broad masses. Cinema became extremely popular while radio broadcasting revolutionized the production and consumption of music. Sports was also transformed by cultural modernization. Popular forms such as football, boxing and cricket have their origins all traced back to plebeian entertainment.

However these transformations occurred at a time of economic recession, novel entertainments were cheap and, now, amusements and recreations were provided for audiences and were also mostly passive.

The music hall had its place taken by the Cinema, which in greatly extent impacted also the way pub and alcohol consumption occupied lives of the workingclass. Much effort was made by the establishments to improve conditions providing better sitting and music, however, the economic role of the pub was no longer as substantial as it used to be.

The rise of the Cinema reshaped the cultural trends of late-19th century East London. Firstly, the moving pictures appeared as novel entertainments either in music halls and theatres or in church rooms, shops and halls. At this quite beginning point, the technology of making pictures were primitive, of poor technical quality. Though, with the breakout of the war in 1914, advances in cinema technology and art started to boom.

One of the reasons why the culture of cinema became widely spread is that the narratives, characterizations and spectacle offered by film were accessible to a nonliterate audience rather than printed text. Still, films extended the mental horizons of the community as they 20

developed new forms of visual and verbal communication.

Not only films, people watched to varied programmes at the Cinema, including newsreel, cartoons, stage performance and organ recitals in the interval. The place offered warmth, dazzling spectacles and, primarily, comfort to people who, for the most part, inhabited miserable accommodation.

Crime was also part of the cultural landscape of East London, however, there was no necessary straight relationship between poverty and crime.

At the permeable boundary between the legal and the criminal, there was a distinct figure operating known as the spiv, who lived on his wits but was ready to transgress if the potential rewards worth it. Banditry reemerged in the ascendant urban centres as there were criminal gangs inhabiting dark and unknown underworlds.

East London also witnessed a dramatic rise of fascism in the interwar period as there was a sentiment of distrust in economic and political liberalism. On the 7th of September of 1940 the first bombs of the Blitz fell on London. This period is marked by unemployment, lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of accommodation and the Government feared social disorder.

When the Blitz suddenly ended on 10 May 1941 the physical destruction was massive, and that was the end of the most destructive phase of the war for the people of East London.

After that, there was a climate of post-war optimism as local business were able to rebuild their damaged premises and new industries such as plastics were attracted. A view from the 1960s points that the economy in East London seemed reasonably healthy. The challenge, however, was provide decent housing.

Large areas of East London were physically reconstructed by clearing whole streets and building mixes of semi-detached dwellings, tall blocks of flats and low-rise maisonettes. The architecture plans were profoundly influenced by the modernism of the Russian constructivists and the Bauhaus School. High-rise blocks would provide public space for walks

and gardens which the old East End lacked, separate housing from industry, and offer well-designed and upto-date accommodation.

On what refers to neighbouring life, East London kinship systems were quite typical as the majority of couples had chosen to live nearby their parents. In-house lives included husbands happily sharing domestic duties with their wives. Families were under far less stress than even fifty years earlier as people had fewer children, were loving longer, had more domestic space, shorter working journeys as less arduous work.

As a long-term refuge for immigrant communities, East London was home of a large population with foreign origins. In early 1950s, there was a great number of Africans and Caribbeans living in the area and they were usually employed as labourers, porters and stokers. There was also persistent problems such as low incomes, poor housing stock and racism conspiring to prevent access to decent accommodation.

The cafés became local clubs where people met to chat for hours over a single cup of tea as there was a lack of recreational facilities. Cable Street was portrayed as an example of East London’s diversity, containing Maltese, Somali, Greek and Pakistani cafés, an Italian restaurant, Jewish and English shops, a French-owned general store, an Arab and a Trinidad hairdresser, a dyer and cleaner run by Guianese, and a variety of lodging houses catering for different nationalities. Also, along the area, several boarding houses, restaurants and cafés run

by Bengalis were established. From 1970s, the South Asian community in East London grew exponentially.

Regarding the Bangladeshi community, mothers were determinedly matriarchal, exercising firm control over

their families. Overall, East Enders can be seen as part of a longer story of immigrant settlement.

The rise of immigrant communities simultaneously occurred with a sharp decline in the economic fortunes of East London. Many changes have been happening to the area since then, as the redevelopment of the part which became known as London Docklands.

In 1982 the Docklands Light Railway received to have its work started opening up the area. Stylish riverside residences were built as massive modernist office blocks, the greatest of which, Canary Wharf. In 1991, the Old Spitalfields market has been transformed into a junction of trendy and expensive food, designer clothes and furniture stalls. Brick Lane Market has also been renovated with a current clientele most formed by tourists while the historic Truman’s Brewery was closed in the early 1990s and redeveloped as a tourist attraction.

These redevelopments might have created jobs and wealthy enclaves, tough, the vast majority of local residents have been poorly managed in the labour market. More confidence has been placed in a commercial redevelopment based on the knowledge and creative economies which have been supporting the success of Docklands and the resurgent fashion trade around Brick Lane.

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Historic Background

SHOREDITCH Shoreditch has always been considered a truly mixture of ideas, ideologies and people. Now, what is known as the Shoreditch Triangle is an area formed by Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch High Street and Old Street, and it is world recognized for its artists, galleries and clubs. The district, which was merged into the London Borough of Hackney in 1965 and is one of the first suburbs of London, is evolving all of the time and people has been experiencing it differently.

As much of the life in Shoreditch was and still is lived out on the streets, notably on the markets, the centre of street life and a sort of mecca for all ages has been the Hoxton Market, as Hoxton Square and Charles Square were created in the 1680s and the market built in 1683. Considered a great mixture of noise, colours and smells, the place was full of characters and opportunities.

In fact, Shoreditch is unique, however it must be assumed 28

/ that real poverty definitely existed there. The district was served by its own and by a few enlightened outsiders.

On what relates to the schemes of the area through the history, Shoreditch first appeared in manuscripts in 1148 and it was not developed until medieval times. There are plenty of theories about its name, the most famous referring to the hypothetical demise in a ditch of Jane Shore, a king’s mistress, and the most tangible - or at least, less fanciful - referring to, literally, a sewer ditch.

Shoreditch started to advance from 16th Century counting on its fields, market gardens, brick making, tea houses, theatres and archery. By the time, tea gardens and theatres were common entertaining choices. The district lucky escaped the great fire of 1666, however the Great Plague killed many people the year before.

Shoreditch was shortly turned into an inner city area as London was largely spreading and industrialization made its mark. The population

undergone a huge rise as it has increased from 10.000 in 1750 to 130.000 in 1851. Instantly, this growth produced a recurrent problem Shoreditch had to deal with almost all along its history, which is the overcrowded homes.

By 1820, Shoreditch became the centre of the furniture trade as great share of the population found employment in workshops for sewing and furniture making. The Railway station opened in 1840, however, during Elizabethan times, people were ill-fed, living in inadequate and overcrowded accommodation.

On the other hand, Friday evenings and Saturdays were synonym of busy times after the workers were paid and Pubs were the epicentre of entertainment, not only at night but also during the day. Typical dishes of the working class at the time, Pie and Mash and Eels from Billingsgate are still common as also the markets they

could be found, where traders used to be known by their products and where people also attended to have entertainment.

Overcrowding was still a huge problem, especially by the 1990s and, in the meantime, the shadows of poverty were haunting out in the district.

Despite of that and, mostly, for that reason, people found refuge and open air in the streets, which were a playground and a place to socialise, a place where problems and news could be shared, where people could make contacts, get work and have fun. Within all the struggle, the community helped itself. People were jolly and knew each other, so they could talk together. They were also quite creative as recycling was part of getting by and toys and scooters could be made out of old wood, metal, papers, magazines and beer bottles.

Through the course of the 1900s, Shoreditch was still an overwhelmingly poor area, lacking of open space and enduring housing, health and literacy problems. During the war time, the district also had its share of incidents as small and larger bomb sites could be found everywhere - each one 29

regarding a tragedy. People tried to keep their spirits up, although they could hear the bombs screeching down on their homes and around the brewery. Then, from 1931 to 1951, the population of Shoreditch more than halved.

Shoreditch was an industrial centre by the 19th and most of the 20th century. Major trades in the area included printing, box-making, clothes, footwear and haberdashery manufacture, leather chandlery and glass making, most of them still present today. The main employer, however, was the furniture industry. Every type and quality of furniture was produced in Shoreditch and shortly the area became recognized as the centre of furniture production, remaining the leading furniture making in London up to about 30 years ago.

People from Shoreditch have settled their own business, whereas in retail, manufacturing or local warehouses which also provided jobs for local people, as well as goods. Although, there was little job security and, simultaneously, crime featured locally.

Entertainers have left their mark down the centuries and Shoreditch has always cultivated a culture for leisure.

When the area was still described as countryside, tea and pleasure gardens attracted visitors from the City providing amusement with drama, concerts, fireworks, clowns, acrobats and puppet shows such as Punch and Judy. Some of the gardens was recalled as a resort for the poets and players at the period.

Shoreditch has also enjoyed theatres ever since its first playhouse. The music hall was another huge entertaining alternative as the Britannia, opened in 1841 and which was not only the biggest but one of the most popular 30

music halls. Then, the culture of Cinema was widely established, and the district have had significant links with the film industry. Besides, most sports such as fighting have a long tradition in Shoreditch.

CafĂŠs also have had an important role on the cultural scenery of the area, as they provided somewhere for young and old alike to meet and hang out. Furthermore, some long-standing youth clubs with many activities were settled under the premise of keeping kids off the streets and out of trouble. The Regent's Canal has also been a magnet for local people and a prime playground for children while Bonfire and Fireworks Night has always been a major event as festivals, carnivals and street parties have a long tradition in Shoreditch.

Thus, Shoreditch Festival was run in 1979 by and for local people, which with endless creativity despite of little to spare would make it an event to remember. In 2000, Shoreditch Trust brought in a new era for the Shoreditch Festival, now a major event in the London arts calendar.

Attempts to defy Shoreditch now might plea it ‘quirky’, describing its restaurants, bars, clothes, buildings and people as being quirky, meaning unusual. However, it is truly and doubtless a unique area, famous, and at the same time, infamous but, above anything, full of life.

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Background

THE TRIANGLE Known as the Shoreditch Design Triangle, the crossing of Old Street with Great Eastern Street and Shoreditch High Street assembles a collection of local brands, stores and designers, besides galleries, cafĂŠs and studios.

This Triangle is one of the called Design Districts which take part at the London Design Festival, happening every September.

Shoreditch is participating for the sixth consecutive year and its contribution is truly based on a collaborative character, which will count with the showcase of new products, design-led events and festivities, series of installations and pop-up stores as the Ace Hotel will be the official hub of the district, among much more.

The intent is, also, to retrace the days when Shoreditch and the Hoxton areas were reinvigorated by the Young British Artist movement, disclosing the essence of the City of London, which is a place bursting with new ideas besides its historical sceneries and colourful characters who have been walking the East End along its time.

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Background

STREET ART Remaining neglected and forgotten for quite long time, the district of Shoreditch extremely lacked of selfexpression and had been taken by huge discrimination and prejudice for the reason of being home of immigrants and the working class. Then, the area experienced a period of deeply reconstruction and had been through many changes when artists started to move in. By that time a specific expression of art has boomed turning Shoreditch into a creative counterpoint to London itself.

The Street Art - or Urban Art - in the district is in charge of communicating the identities and characters of it as a manner to respond to all the oppression the area has suffered.

Shoreditch, as an exception to anywhere else in the UK, has developed spaces and galleries pioneered by the street artists themselves exhibiting their urban art within the area rather than working for a strictly 42

/ commercial initiative. There are now many recognised artists around as Thierry Noir, who compares Shoreditch to West Berlin in 1982 saying: Everybody is an artist.

Besides of him, some names and works might be cited, such as John Dolan drawings and his dog, BRK, RUN, Christiaan Nagel with his mushrooms, Zomby, Stik and the sticky people, Dscreet’s owls, Liqen, NUNCA, Phlegm, Conor Harrington melting people, Reka, Steve ESPO Powers, MadC’s astonishing colourful murals, ROA’s immense black and white animals, Ben Eine’s giant words, Malarky’s fox and coloured animals, Cranio’s Brazilian blue indigenous people and many others, as Banksy himself.

Therefore, as commented by the photographer Bablu in interview with Made in Shoreditch Magazine, the main reference of Shoreditch as a Street Art district, is the combination of great and ephemeral artworks from all over the world right to be seen and the possibility of meeting an international artist coming to Shoreditch to showcase his work, which can be watched happening lively.

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Research

POP-UP

Pop-up retail, as the word suggests itself, might be a shop, restaurant, cafĂŠ or any other retail service, which opens unexpectedly, quickly builds up the consumer interest, and lasts for a short limited period based on a trend or seasonal product.

The alternative enables low risk testing of new techniques besides of great visibility for the business and it is truly about guaranteeing an exclusive service because of its limited time.

These Pop-up spaces, for being temporary and usually small, provides a unique environment that involves the customers into a feeling of exclusivity, surprise and interactivity.

Made out of shipping containers, Boxpark Shoreditch is the world’s first Pop-up Mall and opened in Shoreditch High Street Station by the end of 2011. Roger Wade, who idealized the retail hub, was primary focusing in small innovative independent shops, arranging them into sixty impressive shipping containers.

On what refers to the Entertainment and Experience Economies, Pop-up retails can feature as a proper strategy, offering opportunities for customer and niche targeting as for customization as well. The still rising trend in the UK, Pop-up shops, have been availing since independent designers to big brands trying to contrast from the others.

BOXPARK POP-UP MALL

Boxpark is an alternative of low risk, low cost and short-term rent which suits especially for young companies, such as Shoreditch’s start-up, media and creative industries. Within walking distance to Brick Lane, Hoxton, Spitalfields and Old Street, the initiative has been a success since it has opened, and according to the plan, it will last up to five years. Now, the idea is to open more units of Boxpark along high streets in the UK. 51

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Research

PEOPLE

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In order to understand the people which this project is directed for, several approaches were taken. The InContext immersion enabled not only a close observing but also, a real interaction with these persons, asking them about their relations with the space. In addition to the data collected out on the streets, virtual platforms such as social media also contributed to format the profile and create the personas for the project. Through all the investigations it was possible to detach three main groups of people with subsectors and intersections among them. The results are the following: Local residents - this group may include people living in the area for quite long time, but also recent residents who have just moved into Shoreditch. These people experience the full time daily live in the district, not only the external impressions others usually have. They are aware of the struggles and, especially the oldest ones, might know each 54

other. There is a strong sense of community among this group in which people tend to support themselves and value what they produce.

People working in the area - the ones working in the area also follow different profiles. Some of them also take part in the previous group, and, besides of working, they live in the area, even if they are long-time residents or have just moved in. Long-term residents can be considered among the workers of traditional establishments, as local stalls and stores. However, not all the people in this condition live in Shoreditch.

Some might come from neighbouring districts such as Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Shadwell, Poplar or even more distant locations like Essex, but mostly they are from East London. The other profile of people working in the area is strictly related to the new and innovative business popping up and emerging there, most part of them based in technological and creative industries. The ones involved in this work are usually young, mind-forward/forward-thinking, willing to take challenges and really passionate on what they do. They also have built an emotional relation with the district of Shoreditch, which they tend to consider inspirational

as a creative hub for bursting ideas. For this reason, some of them decided to move into the area, where it is possible not only to be close to their work, as the area also offers diverse alternatives of entertaining culture to spare their minds.

Current visitors - People in this cluster are mostly chasing for fun as for unique discoveries and experiences around the area, what do not necessary exclude the previous two groups mentioned. This is probably the most diverse among the three, as there are no boundaries of age, preferences or manners for every sort of people can be allocated in this group. Although the vast extent of characters, a great portion of twenty-something youngsters might be considered. They can be found wandering around motivated by all the unlike, peculiar and curious features they can get from Shoreditch, whereas if it is a new colourful work of street art, a just-

opened cafĂŠ where it is allowed to take an iguana, or an exquisite pop-up store with designs which will not be found anywhere else. These people are extremely characteristic in the area as most of them manifest their quirkiness in their clothes, hair, and in every way they behave and visually appeal. For them, going to Shoreditch is majorly a matter of entertainment and shopping. Not that quirky, however still characteristic, are also the typical and curious tourists who are sick of taking the same photos of Big Ben, Tower Bridge and London landmarks as everyone else does. They get in the East End expecting to be amazed with all the diversity still unexplored that it has there, and they certainly do it.

Truthfully, the target user profile is extremely wide and may vary.

However, it is important to highlight that there is an emotional and strict connection between these people and the district of Shoreditch. Coming from different backgrounds, including country, culture, religion, education and thoughts, they have learned to cohabit with differences and they are able to embrace them. The persons in case are used to experience changes in their lives and, therefore, they are more open to the different and new.

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Research

PLACE

The selected space to place the set of urban furniture is the corner of Sclater St. and Bethnal Green Road, which lays right close to the exit Shoreditch High St. Overground Station, in front of the Boxpark, close to some design offices, the Shoreditch Triangle and in the way down to Brick Lane.

gets completely crowded and full of people, fruits and colours. The food market goes all through the Sclater Street until it merges with Brick Lane.

There are boxes and pallets spread everywhere, some in quite interesting arrangements. In these days, there are plenty of tourists and curious people around, however locals also visit the market. The market sellers also feature as some interesting characters.

In order to understand what is the logic of the place and how the daily flux of people can change, a set of photos were taken in different times and days of the week, observing the passerbies when crossing the space, if they were mainly local people rather than tourists, among other happening events.

The food market happens until the 5pm, when the sellers quicky put everything togheter with a help of a garbage truck. By this time there is still flux of people, however it is obviously less intense than by the midway.

Everything is cleaned and collected as the space can turn again into its normal weekly life by the following monday.

It was possible to notiice that, during the week, people around are mainly locals, there are some small food stalls, however by the 4:30pm, their activities are done and the space is clear. On sundays, the space 63

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The Concept

TRANSIENCE

As analysed through the history of Shoreditch, the development of the district was always carried by the series of transient people who have been living in there and adding different cultural aspects to the area.

It is certainly a story of passage, of temporary features. In consonance with this scenery, the Shoreditch’s characteristic urban expression of art, as it was cited, is a manifestation of the ephemeral. The giant colourful message painted on the wall one day might not be there in the following day. Or, also, might be a different message.

Shoreditch is a perfect portrait of Bauman’s liquid post-modernity.

Transience is stamped in every corner of the district and it is undeniable the coherence between this background and the Pop-up approach of retail. It is a Pop-up way of expressing yourself and it is a Pop-up way of living. Every single thing is changing all the time and Shoreditch is not stuck either.

The place is alive, constant and instigating adaptation. It is so temporal that it have already become extemporal.

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Project

REQUIREMENTS

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- The product consists in a set of urban furniture to be placed as a pop-up space in the corner of Sclater Street and Bethnal Green Road, in the district of Shoreditch.

- These existing activities include: daily people passing through, small food trucks and stalls standing close to the wall, Sunday food market, and urban interventions.

- The set must include: bench or something to provide seating, a litter bin, an exhibition board, and a planter.

- The arrangement of the furniture may lead the way of the passer-by, however it might not obstruct or limit it causing traffic congestion.

- Pavement interventions are welcome.

- The project might also consider the existing elements in the space, which are: a tree right in the centre, a monument in honour of the textile industry, an old railway brick wall in the background full of interventions, Barclays Bicycle Hire totem and bikes, bollards and poles.

- It is about a living product, therefore, the furniture must provide different arrangements, uses and possibilities, according with the needs of the space during each day of the week.

- The products must work for the improvement of the existing activities in the space rather than compromise them.

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- The project has three main targets: Local residents, including people living in the area for quite long time, but also recent residents who have just moved into Shoreditch. People working in the area, considering both traditional establishments and new and innovative business emerging there, most part of them based in technological and creative industries.

Current visitors motivated by all the unlike, peculiar and curious features

they can get from Shoreditch, even if they are people always around or first-time tourists.

- The target user profile is extremely wide and may vary. However, some points can be highlighted. There is an emotional and strict connection between the target user and the district of Shoreditch. Also, these people are used to experience changes and, therefore, they are more open to the different and new. They come from different backgrounds, including country, culture, religion, education and thoughts, therefore. they have learned to cohabit with differences and they are able to embrace them.

- The proposed furniture must reflect the characters laying in the intersections between the three target groups, integrating the gathered information to the visuals, functions and logics of the product.

- It is important to consider it is a product to be placed in an open space and, therefore, exposed to the weather. For that reason, durability and resistance might be taken into account.

- Once it is about a Pop-up proposal, it is extremely needed to think the impacts of the product, relating especially to sustainability/degradability, weight/transport/fixing and assembling/workability.

- The project must attend the RSA - Heritage by Design Brief and it must be developed according to the following deadlines: 1st September - Brief launch 4th March - Entry Deadline 16th March - Judging begins 20th May - Winners Announced

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Development

SKETCHES

The development of the sketches was meant to be focused on the aspects exposed in the list of Project Requirements, considering all the information collected during the Research stages. Therefore, colours and shapes were explored and, mostly, the relation between the product and the space.

It was also given attention to the living character of the project as the ideas sketched carry the idea of interactivity and versatility.

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Development

PRODUCT CONCEPT Through all the information collected about Shoreditch and focusing on the multiple visual characters cohabiting the area, the concept proposal suggests a range of possibilities on what refers to the use and organization of the products.

Inspired by the arrangements of the fruit and vegetables boxes and palettes during the Sunday food market, the product consists on a set of modular pieces which can be stacked, combined, reverted and embedded to each other, exploring the free and natural relation between people and the object, regarding the adaptation of the object to people’s needs.

In addition to it, the idea also includes the reference of street art, as it is proposed that the furniture have graffiti stamped on it in order to create a huge art board according with the arrangement of the pieces. .

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Development

MODELS

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Once the solution to be taken forward was selected from the sketch drawings, the models were made to support the understanding and the feasibility of the project.

A sketch model of the space with removable features enlightened the relation of the existing objects and activities in the area. Then, small scale models of the benches were introduced. In order to test the volume and appearance of the product into the environment, a volumetric model was made out of cardboard. At this is stage, the importance of the model was fundamental to resize the bench in order to obtain a more compact shape, better to be carried and hold. Then, miniature models in scale of 1:5 were made using the materials and manufacturing process proposed for the final product.

Through them it was possible to notice how the individual pieces could work in the set, testing and exploring different arrangements and possibilities.

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\ Urb. is a set of POP-UP URBAN FURNITURE which can be freely arranged in many different ways. It includes an assortment of benches, a planter and a litter bin which can play with the shapes of each other.

With its coloured and triangular patterns, the pieces have street art and graffiti - made by invited artists stamped on the top of the benches, creating a huge, versatile and vibrant art board.

The pieces are alternatively made out of plywood or OSB, both considered EXPOSURE 1 materials, often used in contructions. These materials are relatively cheap, have a balanced relation of wight, and they are easy to work with.

The Final

PRODUCT

The furniture can also work as a display in order to contribute to the activities happening in thearea, such as the food stalls during the week and the Sunday food market.

The main idea is to keep the furniture free to be moved and arranged towards a better relation between people and the space. There will be no fixings or limitations of use and all the decisions regarding the keeping of the product relies on the people who will enjoy it.

It is about a transient and living project.

The colour palette includes cyan, yellow, pink and purple, extracted from MadC's art pannel at Chance St. 85

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REFERENCES

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1. Maxwell, P. (2014) Brick Lane. UK: Spitalfields Life Books Ltd.

7. Bauman, Z. (2013). 44 letters from the liquid modern world. John Wiley & Sons.

2. Clark, C.; Wilkinson, L. (2009) The Shoreditch Tales.

UK: Shoreditch Trust.

8. London Calling: Shoreditch (2012) [Film] UK: Whitecoat for BBC World Service and BBC World News.

3. Marriott, J. (2011) Beyond the Tower: a history of East London. UK: Yale University Press.

9. Hackney (2014) Hoxton East and Shoreditch Ward Profile. Available at: http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/hoxton-east-andshoreditch-ward-profile.pdf (Accessed 10 August 2014)

4. Wallace, D. Shoreditch Wild Life. UK: Hoxton Mini Press 5. Dant, A. (2013) 50 People o East London. UK: Hoxton Mini Press 6. Usborne, M. (2013) I’ve Lived in East London for 86 ½ Years. UK: Hoxton Mini Press 92

10. Made in Shoreditch (2014) Made in Shoreditch Magazine. Available at: http://madeinshoreditch.co.uk/about-us/ (Accessed: 13 August 2014) 11. Airbnb (2014) Shoreditch, London Guide. Available at: https://www. airbnb.co.uk/locations/london/shoreditch (Accessed: 20 August 2014) 12. London Design Festival (2014) Shoreditch Design Triangle. Available at: http://www.londondesignfestival.com/shoreditch-design-triangle

(Accessed: 20 August 2014)

(Accessed: 22 August 2014)

13. Shoreditch Design Triangle (2014) Shoreditch Design Triangle.

Available at: http://www. shoreditchdesigntriangle.com/ (Accessed: 21 August 2014)

17. Street Art London (2014) Thierry Noir: A Retrospective. Available at: http://streetartlondon.co.uk/blog/2014/03/21/thierry-noir-aretrospective-at-howard-griffin-gallery-4-april-2014/ (Accessed: 24 August 2014)

14. Time Out London (2014) Shoreditch London.

Available at: http://www.timeout.com/london/thingsto-do/shoreditch-area-guide (Accessed: 21 August 2014)

18. Boxpark (2014) Boxpark. Available at: http://www.boxpark.co.uk/ (Accessed: 24 August 2014)

15. Spitalfields (2014) Spitalfields History. Available at: http://www.spitalfields.co.uk/about_history. php#.U_5WVfmwI3Z (Accessed: 22 August 2014) 16. Old Spitalfields Market (2014) The Market. Available at: http://www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/the-market

19. Londonist (2011) Pop-up Shopping Mall Boxpark Opens in Shoreditch.

Available at: http://londonist.com/2011/12/in-pictures-pop-up-shoppingmall-boxpark-opens-in-shoreditch.php (Accessed: 24 August 2014) 20. Trendwatching.com (2014) POP-UP RETAIL and POP-UP STORES. Available at: http://trendwatching.com/trends/POPUP_RETAIL.htm (Accessed: 24 August 2014) 93

21. Spitalfiels Life (2014) Spitalfields Life. Available at http://spitalfieldslife.com/ (Accessed 28 October 2014) 22. Phil Maxwell (2014) Phil Maxwell. Available at http:// philmaxwell.org/ (Accessed 28 October 2014) 23. Pinspired (2014) Sclater Street Stalls. Available at: http://www.pinspired.com/blog/2014/09/sclaterstreet-stalls-video-whitesao/ (Accessed 28 October 2014)

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