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Lucinda Rogers - Inspirations
June 21, 2020
Lucinda Rogers 'On Gentrification' - artistic, intellectual and social inspiration.
A few years ago I took a rare holiday to London to satisfy my cultural cravings. One of the highlights of that trip was seeing Lucinda Rogers' 'On Gentrification' exhibition at the House of Illustration. Her work continues to inspire me artistically, intellectually and socially, and has instilled in me a love of marketplaces and their small scenes of everyday life. Although somewhat different in style, her work was a key inspiration for my Church Street project.
Lucinda Rogers
is an artist and illustrator based in London. She works directly from life using art as a form of reportage. Her exhibition 'On Gentrification' documented Ridley Road Market in Dalston, East London - an area, like many in London, which is changing rapidly and increasingly under threat from gentrification.
Artistic Inspiration
Although Lucinda's style differs from my own, I admire several aspects of her drawings. I love the way her work manages to be both accurately detailed and loosely free - a result of her method of drawing spontaneously on location. I think this juxtaposition really effectively evokes the atmosphere of the market with the endless busy displays of wares to browse and the constant ebb and flow of human life.
I also like how she emphasises certain elements by a simple thickening of the line or a splash of colour. The fact that she doesn't always emphasise the objects you'd expect to be the focus of a scene adds to the spontaneous feeling of a fleeting moment in time.
However, these are not just pleasing pictures - they are underpinned by compassion, concern and a strong social message. As such, the work really encouraged me to think more about artists' role and importance in society.
Speaking of her role as artist-as-reporter Lucinda says 'recording what is there is simply to put a marker down and say these places are important. If there is no record of something, it is easier to sweep it away.’
Artists have the power to draw people's attention to things that may normally go unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. By simply taking the time to focus and turning a subject into a piece of art, we elevate those subjects and encourage others to notice and value them - something I feel has huge potential and power.
As a demonstration of this power, since visiting On Gentrification I have been much more aware of the issues explored in the exhibition. Our cities seem to be rapidly becoming the playgrounds of property developers whose priority is profit rather than people.
As developments of luxury apartment blocks encroach on Ridley Road, the market - which has been trading for over 90 years and currently has 180 stalls serving the diverse, working class local community - is becoming increasingly threatened. As gentrification leads to rising house prices in the area, many local residents may be forced to move.
While some claim gentrification is simply 'progress', it is undeniably changing the fabric of life in our cities. But I would argue that more is being lost than gained through these changes. Luxury apartment blocks offer nothing more than housing for a small, wealthy elite, whereas areas such as the markets of Ridley Road - and Church Street - offer so much more. Commenting on the short-sightedness of gentrification, Lucinda says 'without these places, city life will be more and more solitary and unnatural, which is not good for people’s health or the health of a city as a whole.’
These reflections sparked by Lucinda Rogers' work continually inspire me to support, value and celebrate the places that preserve and nurture humanity in our cities. I hope by turning some of these scenes into pieces of art I can encourage others to see, pause, and reflect.
All quotations are from an interview with the Association of Illustrators. The original article can be found here: https://theaoi.com/2017/11/08/lucinda-rogers-on-gentrification/
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