Celebrating the Life of Ridley Road

20th January 2021

National Lottery funded project Future Hackney has unveiled its Ridley Road Stories outdoor exhibition, in order to tell the story of a street with a rich history of Caribbean and African Culture.

A woman walking trough Ridley Road wearing a beauitiful african outfit in London, England. — Exhibition Image by ©Future Hackney

Last November, Future Hackney unveiled the first phase of their Ridley Road Stories with a local public photography exhibition documenting and celebrating the life of Ridley Road in Hackney, London.

The striking images have been installed on the wall of the Hackney Red Cross building, in order to celebrate the rich culture and history of the area. The collaborative project was funded by The National Lottery, Arts Council England and The Weavers Charity.

Ridley Road Stories is a documentary story of a Hackney Street with a rich history of Caribbean and African Culture. Future Hackney has been capturing this dynamic space over the last three years as a living archive. We increasingly recognise public art as the new ‘gallery' so this just seemed the perfect way to introduce the project especially with the resonance locally of the iconic Red Cross building and with the BLM movement.

Donna Travis, Future Hackney

The exhibition has been widely acclaimed, with features in national and local press, including two Guardian articles 'Do Go Back To Dalston' and 'I Was Amazed' , Time Out, Hackney Citizen, and The Hackney Gazette.

The Red Cross Building in Hackney London with pictures from the Ridley Road Stories exhibitions. — The Red Cross Building, Hackney by ©Future Hackney

Future Hackney is a long-term venture that documents social change in East London, and is just one of the projects supported by the £30m per week that is raised by National Lottery players across the UK.

Local visual storytellers work alongside youth and residents to create a living archive of the inner-city in this rapidly changing canvas. Through representing these communities and establishing their cultural and historical spaces, the projects aims to highlight the relevance of London’s multicultural legacy.

To see the full exhibition and learn more, head over to Future Hackney's Instagram or website. You can keep up to date with the latest National Lottery Good Causes news by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Ridley Road Stories is at the Red Cross Building, 92 Dalston Lane, London E8 1NG.