Pictures by: Stephanie Galea
Hackney Wick is a home for many artists based in London. Souleyman Messalti is taking this idea and developing it trough an original series of video snapshot of those “who make up the creative fabric of the area and explores its shifting character through their own eyes.”
Since January 2016, Souleyman Messalti, has been working on making videos that would feature local talents of Hackney Wick. Screening of “Portraits of Hackney Wick” will kick off on 29th of May accompanied by live music performances by local musicians and photography exhibition.
Why and when you have come up with the idea for the project ?
I started working on this project after visiting a lot of artists’ studios as part of Hackney WickED last year. Sculptor Wilfrid Wood was the first one I met and who inspired to work on a video that would explore his work, as well as his vision as an artist and his connection to Hackney Wick. I enjoyed doing this so much I decided to keep opening closed doors and portraying locals in the neighbourhood.
What are artistic values behind Portraits of Hackney Wick?
Hackney Wick is a really transient place at the moment, especially after the Olympics in 2009 – warehouses are going down to give way to modern buildings and high-rent apartments. I like to think of Portraits of Hackney Wick as the video series that will keep a record of what Hackney Wick used to be like before it all shifted, almost like a diary of an era.
Who is going to participate in Portraits of Hackney Wick project?
The next videos feature locals working on quite a range of different things. Artists featured in the new films include local fashion designers, musicians, ice sculptors, chefs and many more… They’ll be exclusively screened at Stour Space as part of an event I’m organising on the 29th of May
What is it like to work with a local creative community of Hackney Wick?
Working with the local creative community in Hackney Wick has just been a blast! I’ve lived there for about 2 years now and I’m always astonished to see the variety of things people get up to here. There really is a sense of community in the neighbourhood; it’s like a close-knit village community in the sprawl of modern London.
Event details:
- WHEN
- WHERE
- Stour Space – 7 Roach Road, Tower Hamlets, E3 2PA – View Map
