A Black History Month exhibition, which details the lives of people in the ever-changing area, is currently on in Peckham.
‘Portraits of Peckham’ details the often unseen stories, narratives and histories of the local community throughout the stages of regeneration.
A part of the exhibition is a timeline – made by a local student – that gives an insight into life on the North Peckham Estate through the years.
It goes from the 1930s when the first parts of the estate were built, the years leading up to the demolition in the 2000s, to the present day.
Aminat Raji, 21, from Camberwell, did the timeline as part of her architecture dissertation at UAL.
She told us she mixed fact and fiction and has done five different accounts. It was all based on research she did, which included an interview with Damilola Taylor’s family – the ten-year-old schoolboy who was stabbed to death on his way home to the estate in 2000.
“Another is my narrative based on my own parents who came here in the 80s and 90s from Nigeria and how they struggled to get social housing as an immigrant family.”
The timeline shows the progressive neglect of the estate in the decades before demolition and even ends with an art student from the present day who lives in one of the new builds that replaced the estate blocks that were knocked down.
“Space has a big effect on people’s lives and how they see themselves,” Aminat continued, “and often the way the estates were designed led to social problems – like lots of dark corners for crime to take place for instance.”
Based at Peckham Levels, the exhibition – which is on until next Tuesday (31 October) – also includes self-portrait tiles of students from Harris Academy East Dulwich and the National Saturday Club at UAL for 13-to-16-year-olds.
Conceived by artist and UAL academic Sharon Bertram, the show brings together projects she has worked on with local schools, including Harris Academy and St Gabriel’s College.
“We asked each of them how they see themselves,” Sharon explained, “and this led to discussions about identity and how their surroundings have shaped that.”
She said lots of the students, who had grown up around Peckham, said they noticed the changes due to regeneration, with one commenting: “The rise prices on Rye Lane – that they could buy a drink for the same price they used to be able to get a meal for – shops not being there any more. But a lot of it many hadn’t noticed until we started to talk about it.
“It opened up some important conversations about their sense of belonging in the area.”
This Friday (27 October), they are hosting a talk about community, from 5:30 pm – 7 pm at Peckham Levels with a special guest lecturer and long-time Peckham resident, Dr Charmaine Brown.
Where? Level 5/6 UAL space, Peckham Levels, 95a Rye Ln, SE15 4ST
Admission: Free