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Artist Hilary Powell examines the material components of the demolition site (from zinc to copper, steel, concrete, brick, asbestos, lime mortar, cement, lead and slate). In direct collaboration with these materials she tells stories and creates images of both demolition sites and those who work transforming them. Through imaginative salvage the work explores regeneration and economic transition by putting the physical remnants of industrial decline to artistic use. Creative production and the poetry and politics of place combine with the science, agency and political ecology of materials in this cross disciplinary exploration of the life cycles and micro and macro economics of the material culture of post-industrial landscapes. The project focuses on often overlooked and undervalued processes, materials, lives and livelihoods and questions the way we value, consume and waste materials.
1The project began through ongoing work on demolition sites as part of an AHRC Fellowship in the Creative and Performing Arts at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. It continued as Hilary became Leverhulme Artist in Residence in UCL Chemistry collaborating with Anthropology through a UCL Sustainable Cities Grand Challenges award on ‘Deconstructing Demolition: Journeys through Scrap and Salvage’ working towards ‘Urban Alchemy’ events, printmaking experiments, prints and publication.
Zinc in situ

Roof top of Wates House, College of London University (UCL) in the course of profound renovation and old building of Barlett School of Architecture.
© Hilary Powell
Zinc on the skip

The artist Hilary Powell appropriating some zinc of cover on the construction site of recovery of metals.
© Hilary Powell
Zinc in acid

Overview of an image taking shape as the zinc, handled with a cloud of powder of resin of warmed aquatint, is bitten into the nitric acid.
© Hilary Powell
Zinc image in acid

Portrait of a worker in demolition forming while the zinc is washed in the water.
© Hilary Powell
History of zinc

A story of the zinc engraved in the zinc (in mirror) by means of a varnish on the zinc collected and covered with nitric acid.
© Hilary Powell
AndyMacLachlan

Andy McLachlan's portrait, worker in demolition working for the company Scudder, hired on the site of the UCL.
© Hilary Powell
Brass plate engraved with figure

Andy McLachlan's portrait, worker in demolition, engraved on a brass plate of couvrement recycled.
© Hilary Powell
Detail of the final test of Andy's portrait

Andy McLachlan to the canteen of the construction workers of the UCL in front of a version enlarged by the paper print makes from the zinc of couvrement recycled and printed on architect's collected plans.
© Hilary Powell
Final test on architect's collected plans

Portrait of Lybomir, worker working on a demolition site.
© Hilary Powell
Table des illustrations
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Titre | Roof tops of London |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-1.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 76k |
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Titre | Zinc in situ |
Légende | Roof top of Wates House, College of London University (UCL) in the course of profound renovation and old building of Barlett School of Architecture. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-2.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 112k |
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Titre | Zinc on the skip |
Légende | The artist Hilary Powell appropriating some zinc of cover on the construction site of recovery of metals. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-3.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 2,4M |
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Titre | Zinc in pile |
Légende | Zinc of cover deformed, piled on a demolition site |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-4.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 4,5M |
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Titre | Zinc in studio |
Légende | Zinc bands of cover waiting to be cleaned to the workshop of print. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-5.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 140k |
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Titre | Zinc in acid |
Légende | Overview of an image taking shape as the zinc, handled with a cloud of powder of resin of warmed aquatint, is bitten into the nitric acid. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-6.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 312k |
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|
Titre | Zinc image in acid |
Légende | Portrait of a worker in demolition forming while the zinc is washed in the water. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-7.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 312k |
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Titre | History of zinc |
Légende | A story of the zinc engraved in the zinc (in mirror) by means of a varnish on the zinc collected and covered with nitric acid. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-8.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 192k |
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Titre | AndyMacLachlan |
Légende | Andy McLachlan's portrait, worker in demolition working for the company Scudder, hired on the site of the UCL. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-9.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 208k |
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Titre | Brass plate engraved with figure |
Légende | Andy McLachlan's portrait, worker in demolition, engraved on a brass plate of couvrement recycled. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-10.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 340k |
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Titre | Detail of the final test of Andy's portrait |
Légende | Andy McLachlan to the canteen of the construction workers of the UCL in front of a version enlarged by the paper print makes from the zinc of couvrement recycled and printed on architect's collected plans. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-11.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 996k |
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Titre | Final test on architect's collected plans |
Légende | Portrait of Lybomir, worker working on a demolition site. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-12.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 456k |
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Titre | Final test 2 |
Légende | Brian's portrait, worker working on a demolition site, engraved on some zinc recycled and printed on architect's recycled plans. |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-13.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 460k |
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Titre | Hilary Powell on demolition site |
Crédits | © Hilary Powell |
URL | http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-14.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 2,1M |
Pour citer cet article
Référence électronique
Hilary Powell, « Urban Alchemy », Techniques & Culture [En ligne], Suppléments aux numéros, mis en ligne le 31 octobre 2016, consulté le 11 décembre 2023. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/tc/7868
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