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HomeDigital ColumnsSupplements2016Suppléments au n°65-66Urban Alchemy

2016
Suppléments au n°65-66

Urban Alchemy

Alchimie urbaine
Hilary Powell

Full text

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.

Roof tops of London

Roof tops of London

© Hilary Powell

Zinc in situ

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

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 pile

Zinc in pile

Zinc of cover deformed, piled on a demolition site

© Hilary Powell

Zinc in studio

Zinc in studio

Zinc bands of cover waiting to be cleaned to the workshop of print.

© Hilary Powell

Zinc in acid

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

Zinc image in acid

Portrait of a worker in demolition forming while the zinc is washed in the water.

© Hilary Powell

History of zinc

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

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

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

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

Final test on architect's collected plans

Portrait of Lybomir, worker working on a demolition site.

© Hilary Powell

Final test 2

Final test 2

Brian's portrait, worker working on a demolition site, engraved on some zinc recycled and printed on architect's recycled plans.

© Hilary Powell

Hilary Powell on demolition site

Hilary Powell on demolition site

© Hilary Powell

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List of illustrations

Title Roof tops of London
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-1.jpg
File image/jpeg, 76k
Title Zinc in situ
Caption Roof top of Wates House, College of London University (UCL) in the course of profound renovation and old building of Barlett School of Architecture.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-2.jpg
File image/jpeg, 112k
Title Zinc on the skip
Caption The artist Hilary Powell appropriating some zinc of cover on the construction site of recovery of metals.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-3.jpg
File image/jpeg, 2.4M
Title Zinc in pile
Caption Zinc of cover deformed, piled on a demolition site
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-4.jpg
File image/jpeg, 4.5M
Title Zinc in studio
Caption Zinc bands of cover waiting to be cleaned to the workshop of print.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-5.jpg
File image/jpeg, 140k
Title Zinc in acid
Caption 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.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-6.jpg
File image/jpeg, 312k
Title Zinc image in acid
Caption Portrait of a worker in demolition forming while the zinc is washed in the water.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-7.jpg
File image/jpeg, 312k
Title History of zinc
Caption 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.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-8.jpg
File image/jpeg, 192k
Title AndyMacLachlan
Caption Andy McLachlan's portrait, worker in demolition working for the company Scudder, hired on the site of the UCL.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-9.jpg
File image/jpeg, 208k
Title Brass plate engraved with figure
Caption Andy McLachlan's portrait, worker in demolition, engraved on a brass plate of couvrement recycled.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-10.jpg
File image/jpeg, 340k
Title Detail of the final test of Andy's portrait
Caption 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.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-11.jpg
File image/jpeg, 996k
Title Final test on architect's collected plans
Caption Portrait of Lybomir, worker working on a demolition site.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-12.jpg
File image/jpeg, 456k
Title Final test 2
Caption Brian's portrait, worker working on a demolition site, engraved on some zinc recycled and printed on architect's recycled plans.
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-13.jpg
File image/jpeg, 460k
Title Hilary Powell on demolition site
Credits © Hilary Powell
URL http://journals.openedition.org/tc/docannexe/image/7868/img-14.jpg
File image/jpeg, 2.1M
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References

Electronic reference

Hilary Powell, Urban AlchemyTechniques & Culture [Online], Supplements, Online since 31 October 2016, connection on 28 March 2024. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/tc/7868; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/tc.7868

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About the author

Hilary Powell

Artist Hilary Powell works with undervalued or overlooked processes, materials, people and places across a wide range of media. Her practice is a creative salvage operation that has taken her onto the London Olympic regeneration site, into underused urban precincts and around urban demolition sites. Recent projects include making portraits of the last working coal miners of South Wales printed from stone with coal dust and enlisting a gang of children from a local adventure playground to assist with the creative destruction of BBC TV Centre's East Tower. www.hilarypowell.com

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Copyright

The text and other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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