Dispersal: Picturing Urban Change in East London
Dispersal: Picturing Urban Change in East London is a visual and critical exploration of the rapid transformation of East London’s industrial landscape, published by Historic England in 2017 and supported by funding from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. Authored by Professor Juliet Davis, Marion Davies, and Debra Rapp, the book focuses on the site of the 2012 Olympic Games, historically an industrial area on the city’s edge.
Before its redevelopment, the area accommodated over 200 small- to medium-sized enterprises, engaged in diverse industries like belt making, zinc galvanising, and salmon smoking. Often dismissed as a polluted, post-industrial "wasteland," the book challenges this narrative, offering a nuanced portrayal through photographs by Marion Davies and Debra Rapp, accompanied by detailed accounts based on archival research, observation, and interviews. The images document the workspaces and activities of 60 of the businesses, capturing environments at the cusp of change while alluding to a landscape shaped over time.
The first chapter of the book traces the evolution of the area as an urban "edgeland" from the mid-19th century. The second tells the varied stories of the businesses. The final chapter examines the impact of dispersing them, highlighting the consequences for both people and place. Dispersal is a poignant record of a disappearing landscape and its historical significance.
