Information is Close at Hand

On Monday 3rd April 2023 Mental Fight Club Presented Information is Close at Hand, an experimental day held at Shoe Lane Library in collaboration with acclaimed artist Eloise Hawser. This day was centred around the history of Fleet Street and Shoe Lane as the heart of London’s newspaper district.

Our day started with a walking tour of the area with Eloise Hawser and Vic Wilson who shared his story and knowledge of the area gained through his 35 year career as a newspaper distributor for the Evening Standard. Then we gathered back in the library to join together in song with our Dragon Café singers who filled the library with harmony! Eloise then invited participants to use original and handmade hot metal printing objects to create a newspaper reel which will be ever changing as it will be left on display at Shoe Lane Library for more people to add to. To finish our day, we held a talk with speakers who have all worked or still do work on Fleet Street and Shoe Lane to share their history, discuss how the streets and city have changed and what they hope for the future of this area.

Take a look at the images below to see what we got up to:

Full Day Timetable:

12.30 - 2pm: The Distributor’s Beat

A walk informed by the working lives of newspaper distributors on Shoe Lane.

2:15pm - 3:15pm: The Dragon Cafe Singing Group

The Dragon Café Singing group will be meeting for a live session on Monday, where we will be raising our voices together in song as we come together. Come along and join in, everyone is welcome.

3.30 - 5pm: Hot Mettle

Hands-on session using 1970’s hot metal printing objects and paraphernalia to create newspaper collages.

6.15 - 7.45pm: Shoe Lane dispatches

People who have worked on Shoe Lane over the years share their experiences in the area.