29 September 2009
Cyprus Street residents took part in a street party in celebration of the street’s colourful past, present and future on Saturday 26 September. The street celebrations, supported by Southern Housing Group, were organised to form part of a film project by artist Melanie Manchot.
Manchot was inspired by the East End’s rich history of street celebrations, which are documented in local photographic and film archives. The artist worked closely with residents to explore memories of these past events and to involve them in the planning and staging of the project.
The film work will be exhibited at Whitechapel Gallery early next year alongside a series of residents’ portraits to present a contemporary portrait of this local community. The new film entitled Celebration is commissioned and produced by Film and Video Umbrella and is funded by Film London (Digital Archive Film Fund), and Arts Council England.
Janet Odame, a Resident Service Manager for Southern Housing Group, has worked on the street for 7 years.
She says:
“I’m delighted that Melanie has chosen to document Cyprus Street’s vibrant past. The street has seen so much change over the last decade. Cyprus Street is the perfect focus because the area is like a small-scale reflection of how the whole East End has developed over time.
Years ago you would have whole generations of families living one door down from one another. East Londoners are still very family-orientated even today, and I think you can see that from the success of today’s street party.”
Resident Karen Pannel said:
“Residents really embraced the concept behind Melanie’s street party. As the Head of the Resident’s Association, I was involved in the event planning from start to finish, so it was great to see everyone enjoying themselves and recreating a bit of history.”
Artist Melanie Manchot says:
“It was an incredible day, both in terms of the party and the film we made with the residents. I am delighted how many people came, many more than I expected, and that members from all the resident communities made it to their event. Thanks to everyone’s patience and enthusiasm, the filming went very well and we achieved the vision that we brought to the project from the beginning.”