WORLD CAPITAL
2019
Ink jet prints on vinyl and dibond, wood, rubber, water, concrete, steel, acrylic
Conversations about the homogenisation of the built environment have taken many forms. From Walter Benjamin’s writings about the effect of capitalism on nineteenth century Paris, to Ian Nairn’s scathing review of the growing ubiquity of town planning, the crisis surrounding urban identity has been and will continue to be widely contested.
In World Capital the conversation turns towards the way that digital technologies have influenced the global image of the city. Offering a commentary on the role that the computer generated architectural proposition plays in the increasing uniformity of the urban realm, the work outlines the ways in which the proliferation of the virtual world has contributed to urban indifference.
Combining images used to market contemporary housing alongside relics of the industrial past, the work collides local history with the global image that supersedes it. Re-imagining the Great Thames flood of 1928 which destroyed much of the site of the exhibition (now known as London City Island) World Capital recalls the area’s industrial and troublesome past, propelling its history into the near future.
Panel discussion with Dr Clare Melhuish, Dr Monica Degen and Adam brown can be accessed here: Part 1 / Part 2
Accompanying essay can be found here: World Capital
This project took place at arebyte gallery, London and was generously supported by Arts Council England
