Mural Panel Profiles: Loraine Myers
Born and bred East Ender, Loraine Myers – who lives around the corner from Sidney Street and serves on the John’s Place TRA Committee – is full of stories and snippets about local life. Here, she explains a bit more about her background, and her hopes for how the Sidney Street mural might provide a focus for the area.
Can you tell us a bit about your personal background and connection to this community?
I’ve lived in the East End all my life. I was born in the East End Maternity Hospital, lived on Cable Street and attended St Mary and St Michael Primary School, then Our Lady’s Convent Grammar School in Amhurst Park. I trained as a dental surgery assistant at King’s College Hospital and at the London Hospital Dental School. I married and had four daughters, all the while living in Stepney. In 1972, I moved into Siege House, at the bottom of Sidney Street, and then into my present flat in Damien Street in 1983.
What inspired you to get involved in the selection panel for the mural project?
I believe that our neighbourhood around John’s Place and Sidney Street needs more of a focus. We have the hospital on our doorstep and now the new Silk District development further up Sidney Street, but in the area south of that we’ve been forgotten. We could really do with something to liven up our area,.
How did you feel about the range of designs and concepts submitted by the artists?
Some of the artists who applied for the job to paint the mural obviously walked around Whitechapel and gave us what they saw, such as locally run chicken shops, but Whitechapel is about so much more. If we were in the 1950s it would have been a very different design. Some of the artists gave us thought-provoking designs, which I would need a degree to understand. Overall, I think some were more political than historical and would not have gone down well with everyone.
What were you looking for in the final design and the artist? What do you think local people will like about the chosen design?
I was looking for something that was colourful, busy and with a bit of history and also something that invited people to stand and stare. I hope that people will see what I see in Frank’s mural, as it’s very lively, full of colour and makes you smile.
What was the most memorable part of the selection process for you?
I enjoyed the selection process, hearing the comments of others, and as a group being able to come to the same decision.
What do you hope the mural will achieve for the community once it’s completed?
Hopefully the completed mural will get people thinking and talking about the past, the present, and moving on to the future. For if we can’t live together, what future is there?