John Andrews writes:

For all those of you who find yourself lost in the district of East London known locally as Spitalfields worry not any more as you shall have as your guide ‘The Map of Spitalfields Life’ the result of a collaboration between ‘The Gentle Author’ of ‘Spitalfields Life and the cartographer Adam Dant.

Where else in London would your landmarks be 70 local people by whom I mean of course the likes of Molly the Swagman, Mr Ali – a Peacock Feather Seller, Stanley Rondeau – 9th Generation Huguenot or indeed Rodney Archer – an aesthete who has Oscar Wilde’s fireplace installed in his home and Bill Crome – a window cleaner who sees ghosts. Only via the mind and the pen of the Pepysian ‘Gentle Author’ who sees the marvellous in the mundane and has promised to write about it every day until AD 2037. Adam Dant’s illustration renders this vision as if realised by an Orwellian town planner who has swallowed an entire run of Country Fair Magazine just as you would expect from a believer in ‘the collective unconscious of Londoners, their beliefs, failings, love of comfort and need to be remembered’.

As yet unseen by the public The Map of Spitalfields Life will be unveiled at 7pm tomorrow night (Thursday) at Town House Antiques in Fournier Street by Sandra Esqulant, landlady of the Golden Heart Public House. Thereafter it will form the centrepiece of an exhibition of Dant’s work at Town House and will be available to buy from the Caught by the River shop or direct from good folk at Herb Lester Associates.

www.spitalfieldslife.com
www.townhousewindow.com
www.andresofarcadiascrapbook.com

Note: Adam Dant: Unusual cartography of East London runs until October 2nd and is open from Tuesdays – Sundays from 11.30am until 5.30pm or by appointment tel 020 7247 4745
Town House Antiques, 5 Fournier Street, Spitalfields, London E1 6QE