.
<
return to POWER HOUSE - p1 <
ANGELA WRIGHT
"
POWER HOUSE" - STREET FACADES OF 54-58 UNION STREET, LONDON, SE1
begun
as a public-site installation for the London Festival of Architecture 2008.
site plus cable-hung 'blinds' of PVC-polyester with "Grafisoft"
adhesive-vinyl drawings
viewable from 28 June 2008
.
MAKING THE WORK
Photos: David
Carr-Smith / Angela Wright / Gary Black
1 - THE SITE
The work was conceived when I walked down Union Street in late 2007 and saw the cement-rendered blank windows of R.K.Burt's warehouse on the rather desolate north side of the street's 'village square'. These brick-framed cement-blocked 'windows' resembled blank canvasses waiting for paintings!
Paste-up 2-pics 24-3-08 ... |
Paste-up 3-pics 28-12-08
|
2 - SKETCHES
The work started as sketches - drawn, cutout, glued, collaged.
early 3-08
|
Pic 17-3-08 |
Pic 17-3-08 [NO BIG PIC] |
Pic 17-3-08
|
21-3-08 . |
Pic 21-3-08 . |
Pic 14-5-09 [NO BIG PIC] |
Pic 21-3-08
|
22-3-08 . |
Pic 23-3-08
|
Pic 25-3-08 . |
Pic 27-3-08
|
|
|
Pic 27-3-08 . |
|
3 - ON SITE - MEASURING THE 'WINDOWS'
On the 24 March Angela measured the 5 rendered window spaces: 4 on the main facade and 1 on the side - using long taped-together measuring-canes from the pavement and subsequently counting bricks from photos (we did not yet have access to the roof !).
The four blocked windows on the main-facade are all 6.40m high. Window-1 is 2.4m wide and the other three are 2m wide. Window-5 on the side facade is uniquely 3.8m by 4.58m. Windows 1 and 5 will pose a special fabrication problem: they exceed the 2m width of the pvc-polyester fabric which will have to be strongly and invisibly joined.
4 - TETTERODE COLLECTIVE, AMSTERDAM - DEVELOPING THE BLINDS
During April and May the development of the 'window-blinds for blind-windows' began in an Amsterdam studio whose high walls and big ex-factory window facilitated the work physically and subjectively.
5 - ON SITE - COLOUR TEST
Soon after returning from Tetterode some of the 'models' made there were taken to the installation site to test colour alternatives. Available are four colours of PVC-polyester fabric and several colours of Gravisoft adhesive-vinal.
6 - LONDON STUDIO - MAKING THE BLINDS
During May and June the making of the five 'blinds' filled my London studio. The 4 blinds across the building's main facade 1, 2, 3, 4 were made in reverse order from right to left. The single blind 5 on the side facade was left to last. Blinds 1 and 5 are spacial - both wider than the other three - blind 1 would require two PVC strips to be joined, and blind 5 would need three.
25-5-08
|
27-5-08 |
27-5-08 . |
28-5-08 |
30-5-08 . |
30-5-08 |
1-6-08 . |
1-6-08 |
6-6-08 . |
6-6-08 |
7-6-08 . |
8-6-08 |
9-6-08 . |
10-6-08 |
11-6-08 . |
11-6-08 |
12-6-08 . |
13-6-08 |
14-6-08 . |
15-6-08 . |
15-6-08 |
15-6-08 . |
16-6-08 . |
17-6-08 . |
7 - LONDON STUDIO - MOUNTING THE BLINDS
In mid June, with the blind-drawings completed, work began on their means of suspension. At top and bottom the blinds were fixed to steel tubes and these were fitted with cables, at the top to suspend them from the building's roof balustrade and at the bottom to secure them to its walls.
17-6-08 . |
17-6-08 A portion of blind-fabric folded and glued around a heavy steel tube has been hanging across the gate testing the strength of the adhesive. . |
17-6-08 |
17-6-08 Steel tubes are being cut, and if necessary joined. . |
18-6-08 Patrick Sweeny (technical consultant) and Clive Burton (sculptor and constructor) discuss a method of fixing the PVC fabric to steel-tube. . |
19-6-08 . |
19-6-08 . |
19-6-08 . |
8 - ON SITE - INSTALLING THE BLINDS
Installing began on 19th June with blind-5, and blinds 4 and 3 the next day. However the hanging system and procedures proved only partially successful and it was decided to take down blinds 4 and 3 and upgrade them all: 4,3,2,1, in the adjacent unused office space. Hanging resumed on the 28th of June. Blind-5, whose width had required a stronger support, was adequate and would not be upgraded and rehung until 20th July. The pictures below show the sequence of hanging, upgrading, re-hanging.
19-6-08
|
19-6-08
|
21-6-08 |
21-6-08 |
21-6-08 . |
21-6-08 |
21-6-08 . |
26-6-08 |
26-6-08 . |
26-6-08 |
26-6-08
|
28-6-08
- Pic GARY
BLACK
. |
28-6-08 - Pic GARY
BLACK |
28-6-08 - Pic GARY
BLACK . |
28-6-08
- Pic GARY
BLACK
. |
28-6-08
- Pic GARY
BLACK |
28-6-08
- Pic GARY
BLACK |
28-6-08
- Pic GARY
BLACK . |
28-6-08
- Pic GARY
BLACK |
20-7-08 . |
20-7-08 |
20-7-08 . |
9 - THE FINISHED WORK
The blinds survived with regular inspection and minor mantenance until late Jan 09 when random wind damage had accumulated to a degree that required renovation. They were removed on 21st Jan 09 and were rehung in mid July 09.
The completed installation is shown on page-1:
< return to "POWER HOUSE" p1 <
.