Art Metropole

#12062

Hackney Wick

Artist

Stephen Gill

Date

2005

Publisher

Archive of Modern Conflict

Format

Artists' Books

Size

22 × 22 cm

Length

126 pages

Genre

Photography

Hackney Wick sits in east London between the Grand Union Canal, the River Lea and the Eastway A106. Stephen Gill first came across the area at the end of 2002 when he was photographing the backs of advertising billboards. His first visit was on a Sunday, to the vast market that used to take place in the old greyhound/speedway stadium. At first glance, apart from few pot plants, most of the items on sale looked like scrap – exhausted white goods, mountains of washing machines and fridges, copper wire and other metals stripped from derelict buildings, piles of old VHS videos. Stephen bought a plastic camera for 50p. It had a plastic lens and no focus or exposure controls, and he started making pictures with it at once. Over the next two years he visited Hackney Wick again and again. The market closed in July 2003, and the remains of the old stadium were demolished weeks later as part of the preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games.