Up until 2018 we used to go to this part of town, at least once a month, if not twice.
We would walk around the streets, visit the galleries, shops, eat at a Vietnamese, grab a few bagels, flowers, or whatever made the area unique.
Because of this, we became very aware of the dramatic changes the area was going through and how it was changing its nature.
In the 22 years, I have known the area, I have witnessed the disappearance of the rows of African accessories shops, the gentrification of Hoxton Square, the escape of students and alternative crews to Hackney (then Dalston, the Clapton...), the arrival and departure of small independent businesses, the hipsterization of the area (who can forget the Cereal Killer debate) and more recently, the battle between the corporate mainstream and the highly exclusive (and often not-so-useful) which are turning some areas into a sort of mini Williamsburg and leaving the local community out of the picture.
After quite a few months away, in early March 2020 (before the world changed) we visited the area and were able to find pockets of normality through graffiti, but I also found corporates appropriating wall art as their local language to advertise (a trend which has been gaining momentum )
Today I want to share some of the street art I saw to preserve this Shoreditch a bit longer...at least inside IG.
