One of the fascinating things about our part of Islington is the notion, rather difficult to put into words, of how the architecture both reflects and influences local communities past, present and future. For me, this idea is illustrated wonderfully by the work of Cloudesley Road resident Anne Howeson. Anne is an artist and tutor at the Royal College of Art who has used reworked archival prints from the 18th and 19th century juxtaposed with present and imagined future images of buildings in Kings Cross and St Pancras to create striking works of art which evoke this sense of the "present in the past". Somehow, these works help me imagine what life must have been like for local residents before, during and after they moved into the Cloudesley Estate. Here's a few examples (hover cursor over images to see titles):
In addition to Anne's own website, I recommend visiting her "Present in the Past" exhibition catalogue website, here, which has several other examples of these haunting pictures as well as a rather good commentary by art historian Dan Cruickshank.
Stop Press, April 2023: There will be an opportunity to "Stroll with the Artist" around the King's Cross area on Saturday 3rd June 2-4 pm, when Anne will lead a walk through the railway lands depicted in her recent works and talk about what inspired them. Details in this flyer. If you'd like to join Anne, please rsvp directly via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to White Conduit Projects, N1 9EL, the Gallery organising the event.
