Mural Panel Profiles: Renata Rubnikowicz

We were pleased when Renata Rubnikowicz – a journalist and long-time resident of Sidney Street – agreed to join the Mural Panel. Here, she explains a bit more about her background, the experience of helping select the mural artist, and her hopes for what the mural might bring to the neighbourhood.

Can you tell us a bit about your personal background and connection to this community?

I’m a west Londoner born and bred, the child of a Londoner and a displaced person - my father was a Polish soldier who ended up in England after the Second World War. I haven’t traced my family tree but I do know my English great-grandmother was born in Shoreditch after her parents came over from Ireland. I moved to the East End because it was convenient for my work as a newspaper journalist and have lived in Sidney Street for over 25 years now. 

What inspired you to get involved in the selection panel for the mural project?

I am interested in all the arts and welcome any artistic or creative initiatives in the community. I was excited and honoured to have the opportunity to contribute my views and help choose the artist who will paint the mural. I spend a lot of time in Paris where the wealth of street art is celebrated by citizens and encouraged by local government. I’ve taken an interest in the different mural artists there and followed their work, visiting several large exhibitions showcasing Parisian murals. I enjoy seeing a similar quality of work on East End walls. 

How did you feel about the range of designs and concepts submitted by the artists?

I was impressed by how many artists had been contacted and how many submitted proposals. However, I was disappointed that so many seemed to take a very stereotypical view of Whitechapel. So many of the proposals just reacted to the word “Whitechapel” and filled their designs with buildings which we can see around us anyway.

What were you looking for in the final design and the artist?

I wanted the artist to show that he or she had visited Sidney Street and realised what is distinctive about it and how it is different from other parts of the East End. I think the design needs to make an immediate impact on the passer-by yet include enough detail and layers of meaning that it will reveal more over the months and years that we live with it. I  want to see large, lively, colourful images of people, their lives and their history, not just a woman in a headscarf which I feel is a reductive view of the community here.  The inhabitants of Sidney Street come from many different classes and backgrounds. We are extremely diverse and I wanted to see some of that diversity on the wall.

What do you think local people will like about the chosen design?

I think they will like the variety in the design. I hope that each time they look at it they will see something new that they didn’t notice before. I also hope that they see something of themselves and their lives and it makes them proud to belong to such a diverse and interesting community with such a long, rich history. There is plenty to discuss in the chosen design so I hope it gets them talking to each other at the very least. 

What was the most memorable part of the selection process for you?

I liked how mixed the selection panel was and found the exchange of views fascinating and often unexpected. Though the panellists had some quite strong ideas about what they wanted to see in the mural, in the end the decisions were made very amicably and the choices seemed to emerge by consensus. It was so interesting to hear how differently each artist approached the brief. 

What do you hope the mural will achieve for the community once it’s completed?

I hope the mural will provide a focus and a source of pride for the community and inspire them to respect the street and their neighbours, but above all I hope they enjoy looking at it and grow to love it.