citylikeyou — Lost — London by Polly Brown

London / Other

Getting lost is an age old suggestion but a good one. Put away your cell phone or your A-Z and just wander around. I still do this regularly even though Ive lived here for nearly 10 years. London is a big city and it drip feeds you its secrets sometimes. You will come across things you wouldn’t usually, in amongst the Starbucks and pret a mange there are some amazing sights. Just ‘being’ somewhere is a great experience and one no guide book can help you find.

Address
Lost, London, United Kingdom

Artist Photographer

Current city: London

pollybrown.info

Polly Brown is a London based artist, and photographer. Having graduated from Central St Martins in 2009, after studying Fine Art & Conceptual Theory, Polly has worked throughout the art, fashion and music industry, creating concept lead visual projects. Polly’s work often looks at the small unnoticed aspects of life and the world around us. Unpicking and re focusing on the small elements that make up a greater whole. Projects range from editorial, photo essays to short films. Clients have included ICA, Dazed and Confused, Kris Van Assche and DIESEL to name a few. Polly has an ongoing project called PLANTS which sees her photograph iconic brands office foliage. Originally commissioned by Ronnie’s Woods Whisper Gallery the project includes some of the worlds largest corporations and is ever expanding.

More Places in London 461

London / Place

The Lambeth Walk is not as billed in the song. Quite a bleak but somehow beautiful mishmash of architectural accident–or–design; a legacy of stray WWII bombs intended for more auspicious near-at-hand targets, such as the Houses of Parliament. I study sculpture here each Monday; a lovely workshop inside. The exterior features one of only a few examples of an outside pulpit, apparently for the minister to take his message direct to the shoppers, in the Walk's heyday.

London / Library

I vaguely thought about leaving London recently and the British Library came to mind as somewhere I’d miss. It’s an essential resource because it has almost everything. It also has some interesting exhibitions.

London / Bar

This is a completely unexpected scenario in the heart of Shoreditch. The entrance is seamless, a standard corner-shop-type with a narrow door, leading downstairs to a peculiar setting in the basement. The drinks are carefully selected and mixed. There is always something to experiment that doesn’t disappoint.

London / Place

A residential estate that once housed 40,000 people which has now become an abandoned ghost town. Minutes away from Elephant & Castle, is an unexpected dystopian treat.

London / Gallery

The gallery was extended into a neighbouring Victorian House space about a year and a half ago, with a real skill in judging the meeting point between the contemporary and the conserved. The architects — 6a — were also responsible for Raven Row near Spitalfields (another favourite place). I'm lucky enough to work part of the week next door, at Camberwell College of Arts. This is about great food and good books. The café — a real haven at breakfast time before work — is run by the nicest team of people, with intertwined relationships to Camberwell. This book, designed by James Langdon, represents the kind of find possible in the bookshop and also the quality of conversation content had, over the best coffee.