PHOTOGRAPHY|WRITING|CREATIVE WRITING
Shooting London
A city in black and white (2)
Simplicity for me is key when taking photos. As an amateur photographer, I rely on whatever few strengths I possess. This includes locations. As much as I like snapping famous London landmarks, occasionally all I want is a tiny, ordinary-looking, unremarkable corner where not much is happening.
Like the image above. It was taken at the Barbican’s ground floor restaurant. I was on my laptop, likely checking out my fellow Framers' submissions, when I spotted this composition. On the surface, it’s just a group of stools. But look carefully and you’ll notice that one is facing differently. Rebel? Or army general? Aloof, misunderstood artist? Or arrogant genius?
You decide, reader.
All big cities have urban legends. Some are myths, and others are real. The Mole Man of Hackney is in the latter category. This retired engineer was the proud owner of a 20-room house on Mortimer Road, De Beauvoir, Hackney. His obsession with digging led him to build a network of tunnels under his house. By 2006 some of these caverns could reach 26 feet deep and spread more than 20 yards in every direction from his house.
I first read about William Lyttle (the Mole’s real name) in Iain Sinclair’s Hackney…
