Surreal shots of East London’s hidden corners

Scenes and stories — Using a multiple exposure technique, photographer Chris Dorley-Brown constructs visual narratives in the city’s East End, creating images that exist outside of a specific time or moment.

Amid the rush and frenzy of city life, you can be forgiven for failing to notice what’s going on around you.

Say, for instance, in a place like London – that frantic urban slalom, where everyone is ‘running ten minutes behind (sorry!!! x)’ – the eccentric, street-level scenes that play out every single day tend to go, for the most part, largely unnoticed.

HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_Rio-Cinema-2009_onlineChris Dorley-Brown has been documenting the city’s East End for almost 30 years. In his latest series – titled The Corners – the photographer situated himself on street corners across East London, hoping to capture those backdrop moments that most of us miss.

“I chose the corner as a place to study a matrix of architecture and human movement,” he explains. “It represents an intersection, collision and point of departure.”

“I was seeking a way to represent a city as a historical entity with a continuing social purpose – the buildings and signs – with the people representing orientation, arrival and contact.”

HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_Tudor-Grove-2010_online HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_Tower-Court-Demolition-2014_onlineSpending up to an hour at each chosen location, the project saw Dorley-Brown making as many as 70 exposures per sitting.

After capturing the background ‘raw’ (no pedestrians or cars), he then introduced “the actors” that make up his images. Although the subjects were all present at the location, they may have not been there at the same time.

“Each one is photographed as they walk or pause, and then I choose the ones I like and make up a possible narrative or incident to enhance the mood or atmosphere of the final image.”

HMP_The-Corners_Anatolian-Peoples-Cultura-2010_online
Given their collective, semi-constructed nature – as well as the effect of the changing light – Dorley-Brown’s London is an other-worldly one, that avoids being anchored to one specific time, or moment.

Through both multiple exposure and manipulation, The Corners depicts a number of sequences in each photograph, combining different events to create something fitting for a multifaceted London: an eclectic, all-encompassing portrait of a city full of nuances.

HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_Coronation-Electric-Theatre-201_online HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_Haggerston-Station-2010_online“I make these pictures for my own amusement but if they turn out to be a truthful record then great,” he adds.

“London is the place I live and work, so it’s home and full of memory and hopes and fears. As a city, it encourages cultural experimentation, social hybridity and is mostly an optimistic place to live.”

HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_William-IV-2017_online HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_Vernon-Road-Leytonstone-2017_online HMP_The-Corners_C.Dorley-Brown_Laburnam-Street-2011_online
The Corners is available now from Hoxton Mini Press.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.