Allan Crescent Flats - FLAT 120 -
702 Dwellings
Nicola Atkinson Does Fly
SEE EYE 23rd - 24th March 2007
702 Dwellings work presents a vision of Abbey view in the form of miniature cardboard houses embossed with gold leaf drawings, serving as a memorial to the 702 dwellings that have been or are due to be demolished. There have been constructed and personalised by students at Woodmill High School. They will take the form of an installation in flat 120, being presented as a dwelling within a room. The idea of a house in psychoanalysis is often interpreted as being a representation of our own self.
702 is a difficult number to think about, yet by expressing the
number in a visual way it is brought to life. This work presents
the total number of dwellings being demolished as part of the regeneration
process. It was originally seen as a way of engaging the young people
of Abbey view in the SEE EYE project, specifically the pupils at
Woodmill High School, providing an art based response to the regeneration
process. Their personalization of the houses has brought about many
revelations. By presenting something that is seemingly complete,
and then creating a further dialogue, the project has engendered
an imaginative response, with each house representing an individual
and their creative potential. The Artwork can be seen as a miniature
representation of the regeneration process at work.
The houses themselves are full of symbols. The gold leafing references
the sun hitting the windows, which won’t be seen anymore,
and also suggests notions of preciousness with regards to the regeneration
and hopes that it will bring a new prosperity to Abbey view. The
cardboard cut-outs were made from cardboard, referencing the boxes
used to move out of the flats and the associated process of reallocation.
The shadow of a tree (the symbol of life) also highlights the roots
of the community and its’ branching out over time. The fact
that this tree is bare suggests that it is going through a metaphorical
winter, in anticipation of the coming spring. The crow flying over
the roof of the house is a symbol of death, alluding to the changes
taking place in Abbey view. The pupils augmented these themes in
a creative way, responding to the ideas already present and transforming
the work – through extensions on the houses, decoration, and
giving them a human aspect.
The project has thrown up many questions. Is there a particular
group to engage with, or should we try to engage with the community
as a whole? Perhaps with 702 dwellings the engagement with the Woodmill
High School pupils provided the most effective way of accessing
the community as a whole – giving young people a forum in
which to voice their aspirations, for a place and a community in
which they will come of age and make their own. The process of visualizing
this future, whilst addressing the ongoing processes of removal
and relocation, will hopefully provide a link between those dwellings
and their occupants, and the future.
Chris Hladowski
Chris
Hladowski
Hanna
Tuulikki
Michael
Wilson
Karen
Vaughan
