Case study - Brick Lane

Question 1

What is Brick Lane?

Answer 1

Street in the borough of Tower Hamlets

Question 2

Where does Brick Lance run to?

Answer 2

Runs from Swanfield Street in Northern Bethnal Green, through Spitalfields to Whitechapel High Street in the South (Osborne Street).

Question 3

What happened to Brick Lane in the 17th Century?

Answer 3

• Influx of French Huguenots who migrated from France

- Initially established weaving and tailoring

Question 4

What happened to Brick Lane in the 19th-20th century?

Answer 4

Irish and Jewish Migrants (escape persecution in Russia and Europe 1880s) > Sandys Row Synagogue; Yiddish food; textiles industry (rag trade grew); 95% of Wentworth Street Jewish in 1900s

Question 5

Brick Lane in the 20-21st century?

Answer 5

Migration from Bangladesh - Banglatown. Brick Lane Jamme Masjid converted from Hugenot church (1743 L’Eglise de l’Hôpital) > synagoue to Muslim mosque in 1976.

Question 6

What is an film source for Brick Lane?

Answer 6

Brick Lane - Monica Ali (filmed 2007)

Question 7

How does the film represent Brick Lane?

Answer 7

• Changing prosperity of Brick Lane over time
• Site of cultural diversity - Bangladeshi community
• (Features in Jack the Ripper documentaries)

Question 8

What are the strength of using film?

Answer 8

Sense of place (emotional impressions/lived experiences)

Question 9

What are weaknesses of using film?

Answer 9

Subjective (often stereotyped to sell); dramatised so may not reflect reality -sense of place is dependent on the storey being sold (e.g. crime dramas set in urban areas vs Poldark).

Question 10

What is a form of poetry/liturature for Brick Lane?

Answer 10

Brick Lane - Monica Ali; Brick Lane - Sammy Brough; The brick lane I see - Sally Flood

Question 11

How does the poetry/liturature represent Brick Lane?

Answer 11

• Place of change
• Gentrification
• Banglatown
• Up and coming/hopeful

Question 12

Strengths of using poetry/liturature?

Answer 12

• Show sense of place
• Change over time
• Informal representations

Question 13

Limitations of using poetry/liturature?

Answer 13

Biased (subjective/may be highly opinionated/ only perspective of the author); can represent just a snapshot in time

Question 14

What is an art represetation for Brick Lane?

Answer 14

James; Fitzgerald; Stik

Question 15

How does the art represent Brick Lane?

Answer 15

Site of cultural diversity - ‘Stik’; ethnically diverse
Overcrowded/lively - crowds of people and families
Site of both conflict and solidarity: dan James - Anti-Racist demonstration march vs skinheads at Hanbury St corner; stop and search
Curry houses - Fitzgerald - ‘City Spice’ ‘Balti House

Question 16

What are the strengths of art?

Answer 16

More scope for individual interpretation; graffiti can provide a voice for the non-mainstream; sense of place from an individual (could show insider opinions well); can be used to make a place distinctive/unique and encourage regeneration (e.g. Kelpies sculptures, Falkland)

Question 17

What are weaknesses of art ?

Answer 17

Limited perspective; often structured as a combination of real and imagined or romanticised (e.g. rural idyll in Turner’s paintings below) so don’t reflect reality; may be difficult to interpret

Question 18

What are music representations for Brick Lane?

Answer 18

Dave ‘Verdansk’. Jools Holland ‘Brick Lane’

Question 19

How does music represent Brick Lane?

Answer 19

Changing prosperity of Brick Lane over time - gentrification
‘My bro Brick Lane, we don’t know ‘bout Shoreditch
Rental, I never insured it, M25, gotta whip that calmly’
Jools Holland - celebrates Bangladeshi culture

Question 20

Strengths of using music?

Answer 20

Sense of place (emotional impressions/lived experiences), change over time, emotice

Question 21

Weakness of using music?

Answer 21

Subjective; can represent just a snapshot of time