From Pop Art to Community Arts

‘Warhol to Walker’ Exhibition Launch – Thursday July 13th 6-7.30pm

This special exhibition explores the influence print movements have had on Hackney. Starting with the explosion of pop art in the 1960s, the exhibition displays works on loan from the British Museum by celebrated artists including Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Kara Walker alongside Hackney artists.

To support the show, Fragile Archivists contributed silk-screen posters from the Chats Palace Archive as well as made a film ‘From Pop Art to Community Arts: Hackney in the 1970s-80s’.

 

The film is displayed at the Hackney Museum from 11 July till 16 September 2017.
Once the exhibition is over, the film will be available online. Watch this space!

We can’t thank enough our interviewees, the most wonderful Hackney activists, artists and researchers – Jess Baines, Neil Martinson, Alan May, Ingrid Pollard, Red Saunders, Rene Rice and Rebecca Wilson.

© Asya Gefter

Forgotten photocopies

From the Chats Palace archive here are a selection of A3 photocopies, a sometimes overlooked or forgotten aspect of pre-digital communication and technology.

Publicising events from the late 70’s to the early 90’s they are rich with local echoes of the not so distant past…Oxy And The Morons…081…Free For All…Belt and Braces…Buses 35, 22a, 22b…crèche facilities…Exploring Black Arts…Chats Arkestra…silly games nite…The Crayfish Five…Double Edge Theatre Company…darts knockout…Music Hall…

Click below ‘Continue reading’ for more posters and stories.

Slides from the attic – 1980s Hackney

A small selection of 35mm transparencies showing the Hackney Marsh Fun Festival and other outdoor community events and parades in the Homerton, Chatsworth Road and Clapton area, from the early early 1980’s.

The photos feature some banners and floats from longstanding community projects still operating today such as the Homerton Grove Adventure Playground and The Pedro Club.

Also fleeting glimpses of a couple of public houses now long gone, The Golden Shoe and The Clapton Park Tavern.

The original Chatsworth Road market can be seen in full operation. Look out for Carringtons bakery where the original ovens were literally underneath Chatsworth Road and the shop assistant sported the perfect jet black 1960’s beehive hairdo.

Click below ‘Continue reading’ for more slides.

“A lot of like minded people”

Kate Kelly worked as a photography tutor at Chats Palace in the early 1980’s.

Kelly secured funding to run a weekly all day darkroom workshop for local women with full on site creche facilities, lunch and lots of cups of tea!

The group produced a series of image and text panels that explored living conditions and health issues that affected women and families in Hackney at the time. The work was influenced by women photographic activists such as the Hackney Flashers and Jo Spence.

Kate Kelly on – art practice and community projects in the 1980’s:

Some of the photo panels from that period have survived and Kate, who has recently reconnected with Chats Palace, called in earlier this week to do an hour long interview remembering those times.

© Chats Palace