Bridging art history, economics, social history - and the Thames

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Perhaps the first observation to make about the ‘Bridge’ exhibition at The Museum of London Docklands is one of surprise that something like this has not been attempted before. It is certainly timely, with a succession of new river crossings having been constructed across the Thames in recent years from the Millennium Footbridge to the new Hungerford Footbridge and the envisaged Garden Bridge already on the architect’s drawing board.

The social, economic and architectural significance of these key arteries of the built environment offers rich material to social and art historians alike and the museum has assembled a strong and varied range of work, including paintings, drawings, photographs and film to illustrate this.

 As a photographer and photography educator, it is the interpretative challenges undertaken by photographers that most interested me about this subject and certainly photography in various forms makes a major contribution to this show.

A recurring theme of the exhibition is the role of the bridge in London’s commercial development and this is reflected in photographs commissioned over the years by the museum itself. Images by Barry Lewis and John Davies reveal London’s post-war transition from traditional manufacturing into other areas of trade and financial services and how the role of the Thames and its bridges was at the forefront of economic and the accompanying social change.

Of particular interest is the opportunity to view close up the number of rare important and early works not usually on public display. Owing to the fragile nature of some of these images they are housed in a walk-in darkroom and illuminated individually via visitor-operated buttons. Likewise owing to their delicate condition, the selection on display will be changed throughout the duration of the exhibition. I was delighted to be able to examine an exquisite 1845 salt print of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s original Hungerford Bridge, by one of the greatest pioneers of early photography, Henry Fox Talbot.  Other photographers represented in this section include a number of images by early 20th-century photo chronicler Christina Broom. There are also a number of interesting images from unknown photographers and much of this early work is represented on glass negatives and magic lantern slides as well as prints.

Throughout the exhibition, there are examples of photographic documentary work from the early to mid 20th century charting the development of the London riverscape . The photography is counterbalanced throughout the show with important art works of the Thames and it’s crossings by such diverse artists as the 19th-century painter James Abbot McNeil Whistler  and 18th-century Italian engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

Along with all this recorded change there is continuity to be found too, not least in the challenges of depicting the vast structures that support the river crossings. Many of the topographical drawings and prints from the 18th and early 19th centuries on display use expanded perspective or were created using optical devices to try to convey the engineering feats involved in bridge construction.  Likewise the contemporary work of photographer Crispin Hughes uses digital stitching techniques to impress upon on the viewer the massive structural volumes and marriage of form and function.    

Not photographic in form but in their perspective are a series of striking John Bellamy’s paintings created in simple colour wash from his bed in St Thomas Hospital overlooking the Thames near Waterloo Bridge. They capture the sparkle of the water and the momentum of city life in broad brushstrokes that many a photographer would struggle to achieve with a lens.

The absolute highlight for me is the work that greets visitors on entry to the exhibition. Displayed on large wall mounted lightboxes, Suki Chan’s  Sleep Walk Sleep Talk is spellbinding in its colour and detail. These large-scale stills are immensely effective and indeed affecting in how they convey the grandeur and interactivity between bridge, transport and human activity in the metropolis.

The museum’s curatorial team has resisted the urge to overuse technology, which is sadly not always the case in general appeal exhibitions these days. The displays are well laid out and sympathetically lit. Exhibits such Carey Young’s installation slideshow Lines Made by Walking, of commuters crossing London Bridge, and William Rabin’s short film of a boat trip survey of London bridges add just the right amount of sound and vision dynamism  to the visitor experience without overpowering the intimacy that the many small scale works require to be fully appreciated.

I began this review by asking why such an undertaking had not been attempted before. Perhaps the main obstacle for anyone attempting an exhibition based on London’s bridges was whether to concentrate on the architectural, social, artistic or economic  impact of these key landmarks. Happily the Museum of London has found the right balance and produced an interesting and diverse survey of the structures that for centuries have knitted together the life and development of our capital city.