Diaries and rainbows: Town Hall to celebrate Hackney’s artistic and literary talents
Hackney locals are being asked to send in their hopeful rainbow drawings and lockdown diaries by the Town Hall.
The borough’s speaker Cllr Kam Adams has been moved by children’s drawings of rainbows adorning windows, which the council says has lifted the spirit of frontline workers during the pandemic.
Cllr Adams has promised that his favourite artwork will feature on the front page of one of the Town Hall’s newspapers, Hackney Life.
The rainbow drawings are thought to have first originated in a Facebook group of mothers in the Italian city of Bari, along with the slogan ‘Andra tutto benne’, meaning ‘Everything will be all right’, before spreading around the world.
Cllr Adams said: “I’ve been inspired by the rainbows made by children brightening up windows of the borough.
“We’d like to celebrate their creativity by featuring some in Hackney Life.
“Send a picture of your child’s rainbow to HTNews@hackney.gov.uk with their name and age, and l’ll pick one to feature.”
Meanwhile, Hackney Museum has made a similar call-out, asking residents to send in their lockdown diaries to be part of the historical record of the coronavirus era.
The Museum has pointed to the value of a 13-volume diary it holds written by Victorian 16-year-old Lizzie Hudson, who lived in Dalston between 1871 and 1879, which provided a “fascinating insight into what being young women in Hackney in the 1870s was like”.
A spokesperson added: “As we live through this incredible time together the Museum Team challenge you to keep a diary and share it with them, so that people in the future can understand what 2020 was like.
“You can upload pictures to Twitter or Facebook and tag @HackneyMuseum, or you can email entries to museumbookings@hackney.gov.uk.”
Guidance for students wanting to share their diaries has been put together with local teachers as part of history-based activities for KS1 and KS2 pupils.
Parents and pupils have been asked to provide as part of the first entry, in either written or video form:
- Your first name, age, and your school
- Who you are staying with at home
- What you have been doing recently
- How you are feeling
The Museum added: “Remember, what’s happening now is something that people will be talking about for a long time – so even if it doesn’t feel
interesting now, it will be in the future!”
More resources for parents are available at Hackney History from home.