CPP Hounslow is excited to announce High Street Stories, a new exhibition highlighting and celebrating the stories – past, present and future – of Hounslow High Street, its businesses and the communities that use it.
From November 2024 to Jan 2025, a group of local ‘story collectors’ photographed and interviewed business owners and shop keepers on Hounslow High Street. From shoe cobblers to florists, newsagents to restaurants, this project spotlights the strong mix of independent and national retailers on the High Street. Bringing together quotes from those interviews with portraits and photographs, this exhibition celebrates the unique character of Hounslow Central.
Common threads have arisen during the project that are explored in this exhibition – from the rapid development and regeneration taking place in Hounslow to the effect of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis on businesses. At the heart of this exhibition is the personal stories of each business owner, their passion for the diverse communities of Hounslow, and the resilience of this unique High Street.
Accompanying this exhibition is The Bell and The Orchid by Hannah Lim, a new commission that uses the stories collected as part of this project as its inspiration. Hannah has created a series of works that can be found in shops and businesses along the high street. The project culminates in an exhibition at CPP Hounslow’s community gallery in the Treaty Centre (first floor, opposite The Hounslow Arts Centre). The works form a trail that can be followed using the map provided, provoking an exploration of the High Street in a new way.
Thank you to Mar Palaez Munoz, Mandeep Gill Kaur, Leila Baetiong, Anna Kingston-Jones, Kapil Mohanarani Ravichandran and all of the business owners and staff that contribute to this project. This project is made possible with support from Hounslow Council.
CPP Hounslow 