THE SHADOW PUPPET SUITCASE
Victorian Shadow Puppet Suitcase - The play is set Victorian Aldgate 1887 1888.
The Victorians were very keen on shadow plays and silhouette portraits. Silhouette portrait artists of the time would make people’s profile portraits by directly cutting them out of black paper as they looked at the sitter. Magic Lantern shows and shadow puppet theatres were popular entertainments in theatres and at home.
Along Whitechapel Road there were Penny Gaffs, small booths where people could see puppet shows, as well as freaks. They were fascinated by the ghoulish. Famous among them was John Merrick ‘The Elephant Man’. The strange pictures on the back of case symbolises this fascination with the macabre
The Victorians were very keen on shadow plays and silhouette portraits. Silhouette portrait artists of the time would make people’s profile portraits by directly cutting them out of black paper as they looked at the sitter. Magic Lantern shows and shadow puppet theatres were popular entertainments in theatres and at home.
Along Whitechapel Road there were Penny Gaffs, small booths where people could see puppet shows, as well as freaks. They were fascinated by the ghoulish. Famous among them was John Merrick ‘The Elephant Man’. The strange pictures on the back of case symbolises this fascination with the macabre
ALDGATE RESEARCH TEAM
A Team of volunteers have been working with the project director and playwright Jon Oram gathering research about Aldgate which is forming the basis of play script about Aldgate. Short scenes will be previewed at the Summer Fair in June 2018
The Aldgate Research Team suitcase is an Imaginarium.
The idea originated with a CREATE project and was adapted into a suitcase by Lucy Edkin It consists of drawers filled with artefacts, Charles Booth’s 1889 map showing Aldgate; a list of real people from the 1880’s likely to feature in the play; along with the pages from the 1891 census in which they appear.
The idea of the imaginarium is to stimulate our imagination. It invites you to select a person from the census, see where they lived and select an artifact from the drawers you imagine that they might have possessed, and then create an imagined story around them. The story may be expressed as a piece of writing, a letter, a piece of art or an exhibition in a suitcase like this one. Israel Zangwill suitcase was inspired by the Imaginarium. It is available to schools and groups, please contact us if you would you like to use it
The Aldgate Research Team suitcase is an Imaginarium.
The idea originated with a CREATE project and was adapted into a suitcase by Lucy Edkin It consists of drawers filled with artefacts, Charles Booth’s 1889 map showing Aldgate; a list of real people from the 1880’s likely to feature in the play; along with the pages from the 1891 census in which they appear.
The idea of the imaginarium is to stimulate our imagination. It invites you to select a person from the census, see where they lived and select an artifact from the drawers you imagine that they might have possessed, and then create an imagined story around them. The story may be expressed as a piece of writing, a letter, a piece of art or an exhibition in a suitcase like this one. Israel Zangwill suitcase was inspired by the Imaginarium. It is available to schools and groups, please contact us if you would you like to use it
AMELY
I started my journey in London in 2004. I came here to study law but for some reason I could not make it. I had to change my subject to tourism and hospitality. I finish my degree on OTHM about tourism and hospitality, and then I will get a proper job. My first job was at a sign company called Super Sine Company. Then I worked in Marks & Spencer's. I worked there for one year. Then I worked in Wimpey. This is how I had to struggle to get a proper job. Now I am well settled here. That's all. Amely. Picture not yet available
AYESHA & AMINA
Ayesha and Amina are sisters whose parents came here from Bangladesh. Their two suitcases have been linked together to create three compartments; one for each of the sisters and the third for their family. They wanted to express that whilst they have grown up together and have things in common (they are both Muslim) they are also very individual. There separate compartments in the case demonstrate their individuality, different interests and life journey. They worked on the family compartment together. This is a made on a rotating circular table, divided into sections each representing members of their family by symbolic objects.You can find out more about their case on the Aldgate Project Page
DAVID BARKER
David Barker recently stood in the City of London Elections for City Councillor in the Portsoken Ward and as an Independent in the General Election. He is a entrepreneur and business man who has turned to local politics and social engagement. He has written and published a book E society that describes his life journey, what provoked his change of direction and the driving force in his life. David is fully engaged in community life in Aldgate and is a member of the of Aldgate Community Events.
CAT OF ALDGATE
The Sounds Of My Petticoat Lane
I grew up on Petticoat Lane. I am a part of Petticoat Lane, and Petticoat Lane is a part of me. I'm from the generation where I remember 'The Lane’ as the old traditionally Jewish market. Shabbat was observed impeccably. That meant that Saturdays on Petticoat Lane, and in most of Aldgate, were so quiet you could hear the proverbial pin drop. But then came Sunday. Oh, wow! The Lane would come alive again. It would start with the sounds of the stalls screeching into their final positions, then slowly the chatter and laughter from the market traders would, along with the sounds of setting up their barrows, rise and become louder. This was all happening at around 4 o'clock in the morning.
My sister and I would climb out of our beds and sneakily peek out of the window in the early hours of the morning just so we could see what was going on; we were so happy to be part of this beautiful noise! That Petticoat Lane dawn chorus was a constant. The seasons changed, but the sounds stayed the same. As a little girl at the time, I remember wishing and hoping that those sounds would never end. I prayed that they would be there every morning (except Saturdays) for the rest of my life. I loved the bustle so much.
At Christmas time there was a different type of noise – an even happier one. The spirit of the season got everyone drunk on Aldgate air. I would stay awake for ages in those early hours just listening to the sounds coming out of Petticoat Lane; I didn't care that it was almost 5 am. I wanted it to last forever.
When sleep would finally get the better of me, I'd dream sweetly until I woke to find the Market in full swing. Sundays in particular were an absolute delight. There were so many people that came from far and wide to the Market, our market, our Petticoat Lane. I was so proud to live in this magnificent place that was buzzing with life. It's all changed now. But, if ever I'm in the mood to reminisce, I just go to the memory bank in my mind and I 'hear' those happy sounds and 'watch' those brilliant scenes. I sometimes feel that nostalgia is my best friend while at the same time being my worst enemy but, that's the name of the game; we get older, times change, buildings rise, noise quietens down. I am so grateful for having heard that noise and those sounds, and for having lived in the bustle. And, more than anything, I'm proud to be an Aldgate girl from 'down the Lane'
I grew up on Petticoat Lane. I am a part of Petticoat Lane, and Petticoat Lane is a part of me. I'm from the generation where I remember 'The Lane’ as the old traditionally Jewish market. Shabbat was observed impeccably. That meant that Saturdays on Petticoat Lane, and in most of Aldgate, were so quiet you could hear the proverbial pin drop. But then came Sunday. Oh, wow! The Lane would come alive again. It would start with the sounds of the stalls screeching into their final positions, then slowly the chatter and laughter from the market traders would, along with the sounds of setting up their barrows, rise and become louder. This was all happening at around 4 o'clock in the morning.
My sister and I would climb out of our beds and sneakily peek out of the window in the early hours of the morning just so we could see what was going on; we were so happy to be part of this beautiful noise! That Petticoat Lane dawn chorus was a constant. The seasons changed, but the sounds stayed the same. As a little girl at the time, I remember wishing and hoping that those sounds would never end. I prayed that they would be there every morning (except Saturdays) for the rest of my life. I loved the bustle so much.
At Christmas time there was a different type of noise – an even happier one. The spirit of the season got everyone drunk on Aldgate air. I would stay awake for ages in those early hours just listening to the sounds coming out of Petticoat Lane; I didn't care that it was almost 5 am. I wanted it to last forever.
When sleep would finally get the better of me, I'd dream sweetly until I woke to find the Market in full swing. Sundays in particular were an absolute delight. There were so many people that came from far and wide to the Market, our market, our Petticoat Lane. I was so proud to live in this magnificent place that was buzzing with life. It's all changed now. But, if ever I'm in the mood to reminisce, I just go to the memory bank in my mind and I 'hear' those happy sounds and 'watch' those brilliant scenes. I sometimes feel that nostalgia is my best friend while at the same time being my worst enemy but, that's the name of the game; we get older, times change, buildings rise, noise quietens down. I am so grateful for having heard that noise and those sounds, and for having lived in the bustle. And, more than anything, I'm proud to be an Aldgate girl from 'down the Lane'
CHARLES CLARK
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Charles loves photography. He always has a camera on him, and walks around pulling a suitcase with him. Over the past few years he has been recording the ever-changing face of the east side of city. In the last t few years the changes have possibly been greater than any since the Blitz. Charles’s observations of the changes in Aldgate inspired the In Camera project.
I’m 58. My beginnings come from a small town in Guiana, It was British Guiana at one time but became independent in 1966, the year I left. The City makes me feel safe. You leave the city and some parts of London seem rougher. The City helps you to become more intelligent, and when you’re intelligent you don’t really think about fraternizing with force, if you know what I mean. Everything is changing, changing so fast. The commercial city is spreading all the time. Encroaching on the community. That’s not good. There’s a great community here. I’ve so many good friends. It’s been so good to me. |
CITY OF LONDON HOUSING
Much more than bricks & mortar
The Housing Team came together to talk about what housing & their role in housing meant to them and how we could visually represent the various departments; allocations, rent & service charges, housing support, repairs & maintenance and community development.
The silver lid relates to the added value in going the extra mile. The flags indicate the diversity of residents. The outer hug is to show the support and care offered. While the mirror means ‘you’ could be involved in projects, training & volunteering opportunities we organise to encourage social engagement, learn new skills and have fun.
What else do you see? Photo not yet available
The Housing Team came together to talk about what housing & their role in housing meant to them and how we could visually represent the various departments; allocations, rent & service charges, housing support, repairs & maintenance and community development.
The silver lid relates to the added value in going the extra mile. The flags indicate the diversity of residents. The outer hug is to show the support and care offered. While the mirror means ‘you’ could be involved in projects, training & volunteering opportunities we organise to encourage social engagement, learn new skills and have fun.
What else do you see? Photo not yet available
ALINA KOZTEPE
Alina is a talented seamstress; she would admit herself that she had neglected this gift. Her involvement in Aldgate Community Events has helped her reconnect to skills she had neglected. Her suitcase is an expression of her re-found passion.
I live in Petticoat Square in the City.
I have been quite unwell for some time and my Tenancy Support Officer put me in touch with the City Development Support Team to see if they had any ideas on how I could become involved in the area - with a vision to start my own group or business.
After a period of being unwell it really knocks your confidence so you don’t really think you have much to offer.
Instantly I felt at ease. I was able to talk about my interests and skills, and what I could offer.
I became deaf when I was 7 months old. I didn’t get much schooling in Romania - I learnt more from books than from my teacher. Slowly through practice I have learnt to speak, mostly talking to friends. There was no support for the deaf in Romania. Being deaf and having a son who is deaf, isn’t always easy. The play has made me look at the whole of me and I have been totally accepted for the skills that I have…Before this I wasn’t involved in the community, let alone wanting to steer what happens and support others like me. I have set up my own sewing group as a result. I now teach people on a Saturday how to sew and make clothes. Me! Sometimes I can’t believe how far I have come.
I live in Petticoat Square in the City.
I have been quite unwell for some time and my Tenancy Support Officer put me in touch with the City Development Support Team to see if they had any ideas on how I could become involved in the area - with a vision to start my own group or business.
After a period of being unwell it really knocks your confidence so you don’t really think you have much to offer.
Instantly I felt at ease. I was able to talk about my interests and skills, and what I could offer.
I became deaf when I was 7 months old. I didn’t get much schooling in Romania - I learnt more from books than from my teacher. Slowly through practice I have learnt to speak, mostly talking to friends. There was no support for the deaf in Romania. Being deaf and having a son who is deaf, isn’t always easy. The play has made me look at the whole of me and I have been totally accepted for the skills that I have…Before this I wasn’t involved in the community, let alone wanting to steer what happens and support others like me. I have set up my own sewing group as a result. I now teach people on a Saturday how to sew and make clothes. Me! Sometimes I can’t believe how far I have come.
LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVE SUMMER SCHOOL
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A Suitcase summer school workshop for children led by Claque Designer Lucy Edkin produced twelve individual exhibits in Archive Boxes. Some of the boxes reflected their own lives while others took historical themes. The cases were planned and research first and then made over a five our workshop with Lucy supported by London Metropolitan Archive staff.
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ROSE NAIGAGA
Rose’s suitcase is about her journey to London from her village in Uganda. Since her arrival and settling in the City of London she has begun another journey of discovering skills and finding new friends.
I am originally from Uganda; I am now a resident of the City of London
I came to the UK in 1991 since then I have worked with the Corporation on London, and have now involved in Aldgate Community Events for over a year. I've met a lot of people and experienced a lot of learning. I've developed skills and my confidence has really risen. I wouldn't have dreamt of doing workshops or improvisation sessions - I was totally outside my comfort zone as it’s not something I’d ever have chosen to do before, but thoroughly enjoyed it.
I feel I am useful and putting something positive back into the community. It feels like I have a chance to make a real difference. My suitcase represents my journey from my country to the UK. Within the suitcase are personal items reflecting my attachment to my roots and the basis of everything - my FAMILY.
There were trials along the way but against all the odds, and divine intervention, all was well.
I am originally from Uganda; I am now a resident of the City of London
I came to the UK in 1991 since then I have worked with the Corporation on London, and have now involved in Aldgate Community Events for over a year. I've met a lot of people and experienced a lot of learning. I've developed skills and my confidence has really risen. I wouldn't have dreamt of doing workshops or improvisation sessions - I was totally outside my comfort zone as it’s not something I’d ever have chosen to do before, but thoroughly enjoyed it.
I feel I am useful and putting something positive back into the community. It feels like I have a chance to make a real difference. My suitcase represents my journey from my country to the UK. Within the suitcase are personal items reflecting my attachment to my roots and the basis of everything - my FAMILY.
There were trials along the way but against all the odds, and divine intervention, all was well.
MATT RING
Matt works for the City of London as an estate manager for Middlesex Street. He was born and bred in the East End. His suitcase expresses the pride he feels for his work and being a true ‘Cockney’ Londoner. His enthusiasm for ‘home’ is evident in his exhibit - the love for his football team, Boxing and his membership of the reenactment regiment, The Portsoken Volunteers. Matt has been awarded the freedom of the city. He is very involved in the Aldgate Community Events and the Play.
I was born here in London and I’ve stayed here. All my friends and family are here. I got a flat through the job on the estate and at the moment there’s nowhere else I’d rather be - certainly.
I was born here in London and I’ve stayed here. All my friends and family are here. I got a flat through the job on the estate and at the moment there’s nowhere else I’d rather be - certainly.
SIRAAD
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.
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.
WILTON'S MUSIC HALL CRAFT GROUP
Wilton's craft group created a a stage from a prop basket. The wicker hamper is filled with old props and decorations the group has made. The top is built to look like a stage or a diorama, a series of scenic clothes give the stage perspective, each backcloth is made by a different group member that represents either them as a person or a project they have worked on together. There would have been dioramas of far off places like India and China brought on stage when Wilton's was a Music Hall.
WILTON'S MUSIC HALL STAFF
Wilton's Team lead by learning and Participation Manager, David Graham, collaged the inside of a second hand trunk with images of Wilton's from photos and images from past brochures and programmes. The model of unknown origin is a scale replica of Wilton's music hall, with added working chandelier that disappeared from the original building many years ago. The people (not to scale) stood in and around the auditorium are current staff members made up of office staff, bar staff, technical crew, Cleaning and maintenance, ushers and volunteers. A few ghosts from our past linger on stage including Champagne Charlie.
Special thanks to Jon Freeman, Becky Ruffell, Kate Mullan, Linda Browning, Carole Zeidman, Amy Wilkes and Kathleen Herron
Special thanks to Jon Freeman, Becky Ruffell, Kate Mullan, Linda Browning, Carole Zeidman, Amy Wilkes and Kathleen Herron
ISRAEL ZANGWILL (1864-1926)
This suitcase was inspired by a discovery of the Aldgate Play Research Team, he features in their Imaginarium Suitcase. Zangwill represents a key theme of the play and the Aldgate Community Events Heritage project - that we are all, ancestrally, an immigrant or migrant.
The foremost Anglo-Jewish author of his generation, Zangwill chronicled London’s Jewish East End in the last decades of the nineteenth century.
The son of Jewish immigrants from Latvia and Poland, he was born in Ebenezer Street in the City of London. Zangwill frequently described his identity as a “Cockney Jew”. He attended the Jews’ Free School in Bell Lane in London, where he later taught. In 1884, he received a BA degree from the University of London and devoted himself to journalism and literature. In 1890, he founded and edited the short-lived comic magazine Ariel. He wrote sketches, essays, and editorials about Jewish immigrants for a number of British and American periodicals, including the Jewish Quarterly Review,
Zangwill wrote various forms of fiction on both Jewish and non-Jewish issues, published numerous short stories, several novels, and plays, Zangwill published his first novel, The Premier and the Painter (1888), a political satire that emulated Dickensian humour, but had an entirely original plot. The novel contains some references to the East End slum life. Zangwill also wrote a series of essays on Jewish issues, the most important being Dreamers of the Ghetto (1898), a series of fictionalised biographies of notable Jewish thinkers including Spinoza and Heine. His most famous play The Melting Pot (1908), gave rise to the well-known metaphor about America as a crucible where various nationalities are transformed into a new race. Zangwill wrote a novel of Jewish life in the East End of London, Children of the Ghetto (1892), which brought him instant international fame. After its success he continued to deal with slum issues in his short stories, Ghetto Tragedies (1893), and Ghetto Comedies (1907).
The foremost Anglo-Jewish author of his generation, Zangwill chronicled London’s Jewish East End in the last decades of the nineteenth century.
The son of Jewish immigrants from Latvia and Poland, he was born in Ebenezer Street in the City of London. Zangwill frequently described his identity as a “Cockney Jew”. He attended the Jews’ Free School in Bell Lane in London, where he later taught. In 1884, he received a BA degree from the University of London and devoted himself to journalism and literature. In 1890, he founded and edited the short-lived comic magazine Ariel. He wrote sketches, essays, and editorials about Jewish immigrants for a number of British and American periodicals, including the Jewish Quarterly Review,
Zangwill wrote various forms of fiction on both Jewish and non-Jewish issues, published numerous short stories, several novels, and plays, Zangwill published his first novel, The Premier and the Painter (1888), a political satire that emulated Dickensian humour, but had an entirely original plot. The novel contains some references to the East End slum life. Zangwill also wrote a series of essays on Jewish issues, the most important being Dreamers of the Ghetto (1898), a series of fictionalised biographies of notable Jewish thinkers including Spinoza and Heine. His most famous play The Melting Pot (1908), gave rise to the well-known metaphor about America as a crucible where various nationalities are transformed into a new race. Zangwill wrote a novel of Jewish life in the East End of London, Children of the Ghetto (1892), which brought him instant international fame. After its success he continued to deal with slum issues in his short stories, Ghetto Tragedies (1893), and Ghetto Comedies (1907).
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