https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/09/30/the-midway-point/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Sat, 30 Sep 2023 18:26:39 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/09/30/the-midway-point/#comment-1522876 Sat, 30 Sep 2023 18:26:39 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=197161#comment-1522876 I joined gentle author only few weeks ago. I am amazed at such valuable work it represents. Makes me love east end of london and its great history because it’s a story of people. Every morning under the italian sky in milan there’s someone waiting for your email. Thanks for what you do with such a great passion.
Mario

]]> https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/09/30/the-midway-point/#comment-1522831 Sat, 30 Sep 2023 07:33:10 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=197161#comment-1522831 The sentiment that binds these books is dignity. David Hoffman has captured life in all of its joy, despair and uniqueness. He has captured a particular place and period of history. Celebrities and famous events are endlessly documented, but not ordinary people and their struggles. This is a significant and valuable body of work.
The Hackney Mosaic Project is joyful. The mosaics brighten dull concrete and turn it into something wonderful to be treasured. I also enjoy reading about the volunteers who work so hard, learning mosaic construction and contributing to these wonderful pieces. In creating something beautiful, their lives are similarly enriched.
I am looking forward to seeing Women at Work in the East End in print also. My late mum told me that WWII turned employment on its head. Jobs previously considered “men’s work” we done by women out of necessity. She used an early computer that performed ballistic calculations used to target anti-aircraft guns. After the war ended she worked in a bank, also using a calculating machine. When she married, she was required to give up her job – quite ridiculous when you think about it. She studied bookkeeping in an evening class and worked for several companies managing their accounts, even embracing the computer revolution, using a Burroughs machine in the 1970s. She was reliable, accurate and a mathematical wizard. I think the back stories of how and why some women are doing the jobs that they do are fascinating. Even those that appear mundane, contribute to making others’ lives better in some way.
I am an very much looking forward to seeing all three volumes in print and adding them to my bookshelf.

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