From documentary to fiction and the bits in between - an afternoon of films featuring Hackney Wick as the main protagonist. Stories of pleasure, discovery, loss and celebration providing a cross-section of the transformation taking place in Hackney Wick.

1. Edgeland (15:25mins) 2009
Edgeland is a film by artist Sally Mumby-Croft, co-directed by Xavier Zapata. Shot entirely around Hackney Wick it uses voice overs from local people to creating a great introduction to the Wick area and the many changes it is facing from the ever encroaching 2012 Olympic Developments.

2. The Games (17mins) 2008
A film by Hilary Powell made in 2007 before the arrival of the ubiquitous blue fence. A surreal alternative sporting event inspired by the DIY nature of the 1948 London Olympics, 'The Games' sets its athletes loss on a crumbling Hackney Wick which was about to be lost forever.

3. Outfall (6:16mins) 2009
"A road movie for a road that was never built". A film by David Knight following the Northern Outfall Sewer which heads east from Hackney Wick. Better recognised as the Greenway, this path was long known as an escape East away from the city and its rules being overtaken by nature, mopeds and graffiti.

4. Olympic Stories: Hackney Wick (7:44mins) 2009
A film by Dave Hill, Francesca Panetta and David Levene which looks at people and places which make up the stories behind the areas where the Olympics will be taking place.

5. This Was Forever (10mins) 2008
A prize winning film from Mark Aitken and young film makers from polkadotsonraindrops which follows the story of the Manor Garden Allotments which struggled to hold their own before being demolished in 2007 to make way for Olympic projects.

6. Trowbridge Blow Down (4:01mins) 1985
Two clips from BBC News covering demolitions on the Trowbridge Estate in Hackney Wick, the initial blast was unsatisfactory and became known as "the leaning tower of Hackney".

7. Computer Pub (2:30mins) 1965
'The Pub of The Future' a clip from Tomorrow's World featuring trials of automated drink ordering system at a pub in Hackney Wick. The pub in question was the Victoria (Hotel) on Eastway.

8. Coracle Regatta (3:17mins) 2006
Harry Meadows' film of his first Coracle Regatta project which took place on the Cut outside the Eton Manor's Johnstone Boathouse. The site of the traditional 'Christmas' swim, the artificial waterway continues to host this informal boat race which, coincides with the annual Hackney Wicked Festival, until 2012.

9. What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day? (45mins) 2005
The story of the Lea Valley River area as it prepares to be forever changed by the 2012 Olympics directed by Paul Kelly in collaboration with St. Etienne. A celebration of an area which saw the invention of plastic, petrol and the formation of the Labour movement, the film depicts a young boy cycling around the area on the day the Olympic decision was announced.
Filmed and directed by Paul Kelly, produced by Andrew Hinton, music by Saint Etienne, written by Kevin Pearce and edited by Mikey Tomkins.

The Anecdotal Hair Style and Manicure
Tuesday, March 2, 2011 from 2-5pm

Get your hair styled or your nails done, have a tea and chat about the Wick. Lauren Campany will offer free hair styling and manicures in return for some lively chat about the Wick - imaginary or real, regardless weather you live in the Wick or are on your first visit. - Bookings now taken here

This just in from Mabley Green Meadow:

With spring undeniably in the air, the Mabley Meadow is already starting to burst into life. Which means now's the perfect time to start preparing for an incredible, flower-filled summer. So if you'd like to roll up your sleeves and get involved this spring, here are a couple of dates for your diary:

Stag Beetle Habitat Building - Saturday 19 February
Thanks to the kind folks at Skanska, we now have a pile of freshly-cut logs on the meadow just waiting to be turned into a habitat for Stag Beetles. So come along on Saturday anytime between 11am-2.30pm and help us give these rare beetles a new home. Making the habitats will mean a fair bit of digging, so it's good to wear sturdy shoes - but all tools will be provided. More info here.

Meadow Seed-Sowing Day - Saturday 19 March
Just like last year, we'll be getting the meadow off to a good start again this spring by sowing more seeds, planting some woodland species and putting up the coppiced-wood fences to protect our young seedlings. But unlike last year, the meadow is already starting to take care of itself so we can spend less time digging and more time chatting. So save the date! More details will be on the blog soon.

www.mableymeadow.blogspot.com

Join us for a week of talks, walks and viewings at the Wick Curiosity Shop in Hackney Wick, organised by public works.

Tuesday March 1 - Sunday March 6
Opening times from 11am - 7pm*
(*open later for evening events)

10 Felstead Street, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT

We will publish details of the programme on this website very soon.
You can also follow us on Twitter @wickcuriosity or find us on facebook

The nice sign has been painted over .... its all blue now....

The Wick Curiosity Shop will come to the Wick in early March for a week long outing. We are currently looking for an empty shop to take over. Please get in touch if you know of any exciting locations.

As part of the week long outing we will be hosting 5 walks as part of the Route Book project. Re-Planting Sunflower Avenue, revisiting Printers Paradise, Knitting our way through the wick, Take a swim in the canal and explore all things fish.

Also up and coming on the Horizon are the brand new 'WICK SESSIONS' hosted by the Curiosity Shop. Bringing together Wick based projects and the people behind it for an informal chat.

Watch this space for more or sign up to our mailing list to keep posted.

Collecting stories of the River Lea Navigation Canal between Hackney Wick to Old Ford Lock
What can you tell us about the canal?
What do you remember?
Come and meet Chris Dorley Brown, Jessie Brennan and Daniel Lehan who are creating new artworks about the canal.

The event starts with a film screening which includes rare footage of Cliff Richard and The Shadows' visit to Hackney Wick in the 1960s, plus scenes from Lesney Toy Factory, Hackney's first computer pub, Kingsmead Estate and the Trowbridge blowdown. 11am to 11.45am.

Then join the artists to add your stories and contribute to the creation of a physical map of Hackney Wick from 12 - 2pm

Saturday 22nd January
11am to 2pm
Free - Refreshments provided
Hackney Museum , 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

The Cut is an oral history project led by artists and produced by SPACE. Three artists and a team of local volunteers are exploring the Hackney Cut, or Lea River Navigation Canal , and the industrial, physical and social history of Hackney Wick. By collecting stories (up to the present day) from the people who work and live alongside the canal the project will document the importance of The Cut to the community in an area undergoing huge change.

Contact: Fiona Fieber fifi@spacestudios.org.uk 0208 525 4347 www.spacestudios.org.uk

Some images of the seed bomb walk to plant wild flower seeds along Sunflower Avenue on a sunny Sunday morning in Hackney Wick.

Sunflower Avenue connects MaBley Green to Victoria Park cutting straight through the heart of Hackney Wick. It is a Local Initiative by Lea Bank Square Purple Garden to establish a planted connection between the two local parks

View Sunflower Abenue in a larger map

As part of 'Made in Hackney Wick' public works has secured a commission from muf architecture & art to run a project in the Hackney Wick entitled 'Route Book'.

As the landscape of Hackney Wick and Fish Island changes once again and new routes are being cut across the area, bridges being build and new connections being made we will revisit every day journeys, walks and narratives that cut through Hackney Wick and Fish Island from a very local perspective.

'Route Book' will directly contribute to - and be a continuation of the Wick Curiosity Shop. Watch this space.