A river is a common metaphor for life. Time flows in one direction and change is constant. New River, Old Dreams is a photo essay documenting the changing landscape around a North London community’s section of the New River. The artificial waterway, which emanates from a spring in the pastoral landscape of Ware, Hertfordshire, was originally constructed in the beginning of the 17th century to bring fresh drinking water to the thirsty city of London. The monumental Woodberry Down Estate exists within a loop of North-East London’s New River and is currently undergoing regeneration. Images of this transformation along with people of the local area, including the neighbouring Harringay Warehouse District, are woven throughout the essay, reflecting material change and marking the passage of time as it flows through an ever-changing landscape.
