THE JOURNEY
The Aldgate project was initially commissioned by the City of London Corporation in 2015 to produce a community play to open the new Aldgate Square, then in the early stages of being built. 'Finding the play' was a key purpose that gave opportunities for the community to discover something of its past, consider its present issues and reflect on a vision for its future.
We first established Aldgate Community Enterprise (ACE) a volunteer community organisation to oversee and help manage the project; It continues to promote and produce cultural activities today; this was an important legacy of this programme. At the start ACE and Claque prepared a list of objectives and designed an appropriate programme of activities and events to meet them. The Project had three strands Exhibitions in a Suitcase, Aldgate In Camera and Aldgate In Conversation. We started with a series of open workshops involving research, drama, arts and crafts, each tied into the different strands and each explored in various ways relevant to our past, our present and our vision of the future. The first stage of research was a series of community soundings that identified the local contemporary issues.
These concerns of the day gave us the clues as to what era we should investigate. We wanted to find historical events that would resonate with today’s concerns. The research was based around the concept of creating a play script set in the past but having themes that resonated with our lives now. |
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Some of the workshops were about developing the skills needed to accomplish the different tasks the project called for, such as interviewing techniques and filmmaking, research and recording information. These skills also enabled people to film and photograph their environment, interview friends family and neigbours and increase their investigative range
We then began a process of setting up and recording interviews. In time the research team meetings became script development workshops. Researchers would bring material to the workshop and we would use elements of theatre improvisation to 'dig a little deeper' and imagine what effect chosen events had on the people who experienced them. The advantage of using drama and the concept of creating a script is that it encourages empathy and the interpretation of history. Through improvisation we could explore and develop stories based on actual events and find our own connections and personal meaning. We called these Drama Searches.
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Aldgate is extremely diverse in cultures, politics and class; individual perceptions can vastly different. To get the fullest picture I believe we need get the broadest a range of people together in one room; to get as many pieces of the jigsaw together as possible in order to see the full picture. Larger public meetings and talks were arranged either as open events or for specific 'interest' groups such as here (picture right) at St Botolphs Church. It was through these one off talks, and regular research and script development workshops that the themes of the play grew. Ideas were expressed and challenged and the community was consulted widely.
Meanwhile other workshops supported and gave new or improved skills in events management. Here (picture right) people are taking part in a full day simulation board game that took them through an imaginary community play project. They move round the board by the throw of a dice a dice and each square set them a different challenge, from designing a poster, planning a fund raising event, or negotiating with a heckler at a public meeting. On route they picked up or lost budget and community points. The successful project is one that meets its budget targets and earns lots of community points. The process also gave people a better understanding of the vision of the project,. An important objective of the day was to give experience for volunteer members of the Aldgate Community Events (ACE), the group of volunteers charged with overseeing this project.
Jon Oram, who was to ultimately write the play walked round the neighbourhood many times with a range of different individuals from the community.
“Each person gives a unique perspective on where they live. Aldgate is one of the most diverse communities’ in the world. Historically is been always been a ‘melting pot’, the world in microcosm. It became apparent very quickly that immigration and migration should be a major theme. But more specifically should highlight the fact that everyone here, no matter from where they originate have a long and profound shared history"
Jon Oram, who was to ultimately write the play walked round the neighbourhood many times with a range of different individuals from the community.
“Each person gives a unique perspective on where they live. Aldgate is one of the most diverse communities’ in the world. Historically is been always been a ‘melting pot’, the world in microcosm. It became apparent very quickly that immigration and migration should be a major theme. But more specifically should highlight the fact that everyone here, no matter from where they originate have a long and profound shared history"
Aldgate In Camera
The landscape of Aldgate is changing at a speed not seen since the Blitz. Whilst most development is advantageous to the financial capital, the creation of new square for Aldgate has the potential of benefitting the community. A public square is a meeting place, a symbol of people coming together. It seemed an appropriate gesture to celebrate it’s opening with some event that would claim it as a community space.
The loss of old buildings prompted the idea of Aldgate In Camera; an exhibition of historical photographs displayed across the area close to the point of view of the photographer. Over seventy images were sourced locally. The final photographs were selected by public vote at an exhibition preview in the Artizan Library.
The loss of old buildings prompted the idea of Aldgate In Camera; an exhibition of historical photographs displayed across the area close to the point of view of the photographer. Over seventy images were sourced locally. The final photographs were selected by public vote at an exhibition preview in the Artizan Library.
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Pocket booklets including a map and description of the sites were available free in distributing shops. People could take the tour by themselves or join the organised tours led by City Guides. The exhibition ran from the 1st August to 15th September and proved immensely popular and reignited many people’s interest in the history of their community. “ I loved the tour. There was so much I didn’t know and I’ve lived here for over fifty years." " It’s sad that so many lovely buildings don’t exist anymore, this reminds us of our history we should think about that more before we tear buildings.” |
Exhibitions in a Suitcase
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The photographs, both on the tour and in research meetings triggered memories and inspired stories. All the research and stories were coming back to the script development workshops and were informing the play. However we knew at the outset there would many people whose stories would go untold. Not everyone has the confidence or even the inclination to tell never mind perform this or her story. Talking to a group of Muslim women Jon Oram was moved to say to them “Each individual story I’ve heard is worthy of an exhibition.
Reluctant to tell their stories in public they did feel comfortable with the idea of making a small exhibition of their lives and the idea of ‘exhibitions in a suitcase was born. |
The journey began with sharing stories quietly one to one either verbally or with drawings. They then chose their suitcase and drew out a plan of what they might do.
Aisha and Alima are sisters, they wanted to make a suitcase together but were very adamant about how different that were from each other and would find it difficult to agree what to put in it. We devised they idea of interlocking suitcases, They would have a compartment each and a third one to represent other members of their family. They made most of the images in their case with great care and diligence and their confidence grew. The picture above is them speaking publicly to a crowd and the launch of the suitcase exhibition in the East London Muslim Centre.
Similarly Siraad, initially too shy to talk and uncertain she could make anything, created the most beautiful image in her case and gave told her very moving story to a group of people when her suitcase was exhibited.
My name is Siraad. I come from Somalia. From a war-torn land, I made my way to Aldgate. This is my story. In the early 1990s I fled a conflict-ridden Mogadishu and found myself in a small Somali town. My sister gave me shelter alongside her growing family. After a year, we all moved back to Mogadishu. The war was ongoing and, although care was needed not getting caught in the crossfire, the area where we stayed was generally more peaceful than other parts of the capital city. When my sister's husband died everything changed. I was now my sister's carer as she was mine. My sister was a mother to me. Our own mother died when I was just six months old. With all the changes in our lives and the on-going war, we made the difficult decision to leave our homeland. A distant family member gave us safe passage by guiding us along a route towards Ethiopia.
A long journey was taken in a car that was so laden, we were almost certain it would topple over before arriving at our destination. But, arrive we did, and our next step was to set up home there. But more changes were to come. After a significant part of my story that is too painful to note here, I was alone in Ethiopia. My family was gone. I was a young girl who had lived a million lives, and I was alone. For two years, going from one place to another, I stayed in a country that was not mine.
Eventually, my brother organised for me to come to the UK. With a few pounds in my pocket and a one-way plane ticket, I made my way to London. I was just 11 years old. On arrival, I was reunited with my sister, and our other sister, who had made homes here.
However, family turmoil - where I was to live, who I was to stay with, where I could go to school – all these issues caused uproar in our home. I never did make it to school. Education was never given to me. Life carried on, and I married. Although our hearts were together, they eventually broke apart and our marriage didn't make it. Marriage number two bore three children but, again, our union didn't survive. Marriage number three - third time lucky has given me a happy home and four more children. I still think of my homeland. But, we are here - growing, learning, striving and thriving in Aldgate.
Similarly Siraad, initially too shy to talk and uncertain she could make anything, created the most beautiful image in her case and gave told her very moving story to a group of people when her suitcase was exhibited.
My name is Siraad. I come from Somalia. From a war-torn land, I made my way to Aldgate. This is my story. In the early 1990s I fled a conflict-ridden Mogadishu and found myself in a small Somali town. My sister gave me shelter alongside her growing family. After a year, we all moved back to Mogadishu. The war was ongoing and, although care was needed not getting caught in the crossfire, the area where we stayed was generally more peaceful than other parts of the capital city. When my sister's husband died everything changed. I was now my sister's carer as she was mine. My sister was a mother to me. Our own mother died when I was just six months old. With all the changes in our lives and the on-going war, we made the difficult decision to leave our homeland. A distant family member gave us safe passage by guiding us along a route towards Ethiopia.
A long journey was taken in a car that was so laden, we were almost certain it would topple over before arriving at our destination. But, arrive we did, and our next step was to set up home there. But more changes were to come. After a significant part of my story that is too painful to note here, I was alone in Ethiopia. My family was gone. I was a young girl who had lived a million lives, and I was alone. For two years, going from one place to another, I stayed in a country that was not mine.
Eventually, my brother organised for me to come to the UK. With a few pounds in my pocket and a one-way plane ticket, I made my way to London. I was just 11 years old. On arrival, I was reunited with my sister, and our other sister, who had made homes here.
However, family turmoil - where I was to live, who I was to stay with, where I could go to school – all these issues caused uproar in our home. I never did make it to school. Education was never given to me. Life carried on, and I married. Although our hearts were together, they eventually broke apart and our marriage didn't make it. Marriage number two bore three children but, again, our union didn't survive. Marriage number three - third time lucky has given me a happy home and four more children. I still think of my homeland. But, we are here - growing, learning, striving and thriving in Aldgate.
Window Wanderland
All the elements of the project, and a little more, came together on December 1st 2017 in a Winterfest. Throughout October and November artists ran workshops across Aldgate helping the community make lanterns and coloured windows. The hive of activity in schools, libraries, community centres, church halls all came together with decorated windows and a lantern parade though the streets to a fair and exhibitions of suitcases and Aldgate In Camera photographs. Some 300-400 people attended. The event celebrated multiculturalism and a shared history.
Winterfest Lantern Parade
Winterfest Fair
