Elena M. Wagner

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IT. Guardando la mappa di Londra, l’East End è ovviamente a destra. Ma quando ti dicono che a Oriente trovi “the right side of London”, non intendono darti indicazioni geografiche. ‘Right’ significa sia ‘destra’ che ‘giusta’ e in questo caso vale più la seconda accezione. La frase va quindi interpretata: l’Est è la parte più cool della città. Un tempo considerata un ammasso di quartieri poveri e pericolosi, oggi è la zona che ospiterà le Olimpiadi 2012 e che ogni giorno riesce a sorprendere. E’ qui che ogni volta scopro qualcosa di mai visto prima. E’ qui, ad esempio nel quartiere di Angel, che mi capita di entrare in una galleria d’arte contemporanea (ce ne sono tantissime e con mostre gratuite) e giocare in una sala completamente occupata da un labirinto con mura fatte di edera, provare il cibo di tutto il mondo a Brick Lane Market, passeggiare lungo Regent’s Canal con la sensazione di non essere più in una metropoli ma in un piccolo villaggio, e poi fermarmi in un pub a bere Cider Beer (birra e sidro di mele) seduta ai bordi del fiume.

Create The Right Side of London

EN.Looking at a map of London, the East End is of course in the right side. But when people say that in the East there is “the right side of London“, they don’t intend to give you geographical indications. In this case, ‘right’ means ‘cool’. And yes, the East is the coolest part of the city. Once considered a cluster of slums and dangerous, now is the area that will host the 2012 Olympics and that is able to surprise every day. Here you can always discover something never seen before. Once, in the neighbourhood of Angel for instance, I found by chance a contemporary art gallery (there are lots of free exhibitions in this area) where an entire floor was covered by a romantic maze with ivy walls. In the East End, every Sunday, it’s possible to try some food from all around the world in Brick Lane Market; while, every day, you can stroll along Regent’s Canal with the feeling of not being in a metropolis but in a small village, and then you can stop in a pub to drink Cider Beer (beer and cider) sitting on the edge of the River.

Here you find everything it’s (im)possible imagine.

Even a romantic maze with ivy walls.

A giant maze of ivy covers the entire first floor of the gallery: an installation by Yinka Shonibare entitled ‘Jardin d’amour’ at the Parasol Unit for contemporary art. Also showing are works by Yang Fudong, Shirin Neshat, Christodoulos Panayiotou. Each of these artists explores the theme of love in different times and cultures through their personal experiences. The exhibition title takes its cue from a 1960s song written by Bert Berns and performed by The Exciters, in which there is the recurring lyric, ‘I know something about love’ (from 9th March to 22 May, 2011).

East London
GALLERY LISTING

1. Barbican Art Gallery Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
2. Chisenhale Gallery 64-84 Chisenhale Road, London E3 5QZ
3. Calvert 22 22 Calvert Avenue, London E2 7JP
4. Museum of London 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN
5. Museum of London Docklands West India Quay, 1 Warehouse, London E14 4AL
6. The Nunnery Unit 5 Container Futures, 5 Gillender St, London E14 6RN
7. Parasol Unit 14 Wharf Road, London N1 7RW *
   
8. Raven Row 56 Artillery Lane, London E1 7LS
9. Rivington Place 1 Rivington Place, London EC2A 3BA
10. V&A Museum of Childhood Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA
11. White Cube 48 Hoxton Sq, London N1 6PB
12. Whitechapel Gallery 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
13. The Women’s Library London Metropolitan University, 25 Old Castle Street, London E1 7NT

LONDON OLYMPICS 2012
Official site:
www.london2012.com
Unofficial site:
www.londonolympics2012.com