Review of This is Whitechapel - an exhibition of photographs by Ian Berry. Published by Community Care (Culture Vulture)

THIS IS WHITECHAPEL – PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE EAST END. A MUST FOR SOCIAL WORKERS

A REVIEW OF AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY IAN BERRY AT THE WHITECHAPEL GALLERY. LONDON. Until 4th September 2011. Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 6pm but open to 9pm on Thursdays. Admission free. http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/ This collection of 30 photographs by Ian Berry records the poverty and drama of life in the east end of London in 1972. Berry is a real veteran, having recorded street life in many countries including conflict zones. He was the only photographer to record the South African Sharpeville massacre in 1960. But here he records everyday life in Whitechapel under a commission given by the Whitechapel Gallery. Berry’s lens is a window into an era of change and of real poverty. The pictures capture everyday scenes with great sensitivity. They show an old woman and her home help; homeless men queuing for admission to the Salvation Army night shelter; a soup kitchen; a tea dance for the lonely; an old orthodox man left behind as the Jewish community disappeared to the suburbs making way for the new Afro Caribbean and Bangladeshi immigrants; old women with the then prized four wheeled baby pushchairs that doubled as walking frames and shopping trolleys – now replaced by electric buggies. The community helping itself and the work of voluntary organisations like the Salvation Army and Toynbee Hall are depicted in many shots. Is this the ‘Big Society’ the coalition government talks about? If so, Berry’s pictures remind us how fragmented services were and dependent on charity and the poor having to do what they could for the poor. 1972 was also a period of change for social work. The well received Seebohm report of 1968 had given us the Social Services Act of 1970 that established the social work as a service and profession. The previously disparate children’s, adult’s and mental health departments were brought to together as families and communities were seen as a whole and local authorities took the lead in the relief of poverty and welfare provision. For social workers, this exhibition is a good place to reflect on how the world changed and how social work has played its part. Berry’s photographs show us the world modern social work was born into. At a time when the profession is under such pressure, it is perhaps helpful to remember our history.