i am here Comments.

Wandering down Regents canal on a lovely, sunny Sunday afternoon I stumbled past something so inspiring and powerful that I could not sleep later that night.
I have been asking many questions of myself lately… What do I want from life, where am I going? What are my current goals? - A fierce and troll like Alan Sugar daily conducting a interview in my head and running a brief synopsis of my life.
My brain is like an onion, a moon wrapped in brown paper promising light. Twinkling until the early hours, always delaying rest with its power, but never quite receiving quite the same recognition as the Sun.
What if I could be more than just a ball of light, what if I could actually make a luminous, indelible mark somewhere, constantly reminding others of my existence?
Oh how I would love to take a stroll one muggy evening, hand in hand with the love of my life, to stop and stare, to giddily explain this is me, for the world to see.

And then it hit me. Do I not have any other desires? Do I not wish for a better job, a more refined physique and a fuller bank balance?
Not for now, no.
Just a picture will do, just a picture that expresses my love for London, and my happiness inside. Just a picture that says; 'I am here, I am alive, and excited about what the future will bring'
Just a picture...

Please help me fulfill my current ambition of being more than just a face on a wall,
oh how I would to show my future Grandchildren, I was once there, in London, for one and all…

it looks so strange now that the rest of the buildings are nearly down, and noone can see the orange boards any more on them.....makes your work look even more striking, wondersome and curious.
alex

I love your work 'I am here'. I first saw it when looking round the Bridge Academy, standing on one of their roof top playgrounds. Every time we walk past we stop and look and make up stories about the residents.

What a terrific thing to do! We so often make assumptions and judgments about people simply because of where they live, what their neighborhood and home looks like. Somehow, the fact that they are the ‘other’ and not the ‘us’ or ‘we’ blinds us to the fact that ultimately ‘we’ includes everyone.
If all the window end up with photos, I hope you post it. Would love to see. It looks like such a diverse group of people who lived there.

I love watching the house martins nesting on the building. Are they considered?

Okay- messed up the link: http://bigartmob.com/view/5983/i-am-here

Well done guys! I added your project to the ,a href="http://bigartmob.com/view/5983/i-am-here">Big Art Mob. Jule

Truly impressing!
I learnt about the project, unfortunately I have not yet experienced it.
It's interesting to learn about it on the web, read the comments,
where (ops!) everybody automatically refer to reality, be it social, economical or political - not to the "arty" connection!
This is a proof of the success in finally having come to grips with the border line between art and reality. So many tried, few succeded, but you realised it!
Friend of Marie and socially oriented art

Looking through the responses it's intriguing to see how the knowledge is spreading through word of mouth, being interpreted by people who seem to have heard of it, but not quite got it right - talking of the portraits of people being those who have left, not those who are there, or calling it by a different name: "we live here", even mis-locating it.

And I observe; there are no absolute truths in the days of mass communication, only the perspective of the observer and the observed, so aptly demonstrated by both this work and the re-interpretations of it by those outside of it.

My family lived in Samuel House from 1939 till my mum had to get out in the 70's. Wonderful memories of life there.
Our flat is in the top photo. A beautiful flat with a bay window where the sun blasted in and I could watch my mum coming home from Hoxton with bags of shopping.

Here's some of my memories from those times.

The things we did when we were young
In the grounds of the flats where the washing hung
Played gobs, and skipped, run outs and ball
Knock down ginger, rounders and all

Over the baths for the weekly wash
All dried and mangled really looked posh
Down the Broadway for pie and mash
Popped in to Uncles to get the cash
Mum's new shoes wrapped up in a vest
"Five bob I'm afraid", that's my best.

The things we did when we were young
In the grounds of the flats where the washing hung
No parked cars to get in the way
Plenty of room for us to play
Tin can Tommy, donkey and keys
The ball smashed the window of poor Mrs. Lees
Out she'd come hollering and shouting
Then there was the Sunday school outing

All in the chara to Walton on Naze
First for a paddle, then in the maze
Tea and sandwiches then a sing song home
Guides and Brownies, I was a gnome.

The things we did when we were young
In the grounds of the flats
Where the washing hung

The tally man called every week
Look through the window, and take a peek
"Can't pay him this time, the coalman's due,
Your shoes are worn and you'll need some new"

Forces favourites, roast lamb dinners
Over the cut, to watch the swimmers
The big barges pulled, by the poor old horses
The boys of eighteen called up for the forces

No T.V. videos or holidays in Spain
A day at Southend in ther pouring of rain
No aerobics, slimming diets and such
Dandy and Beano we liked very much

The world has progressed or so they say
Though I'm not sure I like it that way
No battered old ladies - never heard of mugging
We had plenty of love and lots of hugging

The worlds took to pot and terror and hate
I wish it would stop before it's too late
Go back to the days when we were young
Where we played in the grounds where the washing hung.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wayneanthony/3903635537/

www [dot] vimeo [dot] com/6744192

dedicated to the residents of Haggerston estate

http://www.vimeo.com/6744192 - dedicated to the residents of Haggerston estate

thank you for stopping to look at the work and your comments. the website will be growing over the course of the project, and we'll add to it over the next months. there'll be a few events organised around the work and we'll put these dates up as soon as they are confirmed. hope to see you at some of the events. Andrea

http://mickhartley.typepad.com/blog/2009/09/here-in-haggerston.html

What an imaginative idea and excellent way of underpinning a community. The residents pictured must feel very chuffed to be recognised so prominently.

Maybe work on the website a bit, though. One has to be careful not to miss sections of it completely and it's a trifle annoying - after looking through the 26 images of progress on the project - then to have to work back through 26 pages to get back to the remainder of the site!

Why not take the project elsewhere? This could be an amazing public intervention for blighted estates all over the country?

The photographic project is visually simple and clear but with a real connection to the place and people. We look forward to continuing to engage with your project. Fascinating...and want to see more of the lady who paints stairways!

english version-second attempt..
I was there!! And soon will be there again.
Those houses and public spaces "made up" by communities, artists, animals, plants, things, should be re-opened and made use of. What could they become ? What would people (current residents/bypassers) like to see happening there? What can people who do not live there but might want to visit do to participate in the project? How can Tower Hamlets help this process of public art space to become part of the daily lives of people and things? How can this project travel elsewhere? Is the right to a shelter really a human right?
much love to the fugitives and to the first commentators who are there too!!! monica in nyc

I was there!! And soon will be there again.
Those houses and public spaces "made up" by communities, artists, animals, plants, things, should be re-opened and made use of. What could they become ? What would people there would like to see there happening? How can people who does not live there but might want to visit do ? How can Tower Hamlets help this process of public art space to become part of the daily lives of people and things? How can this project travel elsewhere? Is the right to a shelter really a human right?
much love to the fugitives and to the first commentators who are there too!!! monica in nyc

Great website to compliment a really great project. We went to the Launch and it war really good to see it all from the Academy terrace.
We also went over to the residents' party and had a closer look at the work.

Well done

TL

we slipped away - i am on deadline for the book

i want to congratulate you ...the words 'empowerment', 'stakeholder' and 'participation' have been overused and have lost their meaning.

but if there is an example of the way in which stakeholders can truly be empowered as they participate in a community, i saw it today.

we spoke about the cost in money - but i suspect that the cost in time is far greater, and a far more important factor.

it is a tribute to the two of you that you have won the trust of such a diverse group. few others could have inspired the self belief that was manifested this morning...

proud of you!

m

This is a good idea however will more potraits be added as there are only a few and i live right near this building and the orange boarded up windows are not the most attractive things to see when i look out the window

i am here! hooray for the most beautiful, brilliant, moving, fantastic, glorious public art project ever. this should stay up as long as cave art. what a privilege to be not only the first people to comment, but also to be right up there on the wall, next to the each other and next to one of the artists.

fantastic work! well done!

love josh and shu
love shu and josh