Telling the Truth Through False Teeth by Rossana Tich
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At the Heart of Hackney since 1967 2012 THE HACKNEY SOCIETY SPACENews and views about Hackney’s builtS environment Issue 37 Summer 2012 // ISSN 2047-7457 Telling the Truth through False Teeth By Rossana Tich Over the past few months, a mid- Alex Chinneck believes, ‘These factories 20th-century factory, earmarked may be industrially redundant, but I think it for demolition, on Tudor Road, E9 is important to preserve them and recognise the architectural contribution they make has slowly and painstakingly been installation period I have heard many different to London’s eclectic skyline and streets. It transformed into a work of art by Alex interpretations of what the work means and seems odd that we tear down structures that Chinneck in association with Sumarria why I have done it. Everyone is welcome to have been built to last.’ Lunn Gallery. People passing by have interpret the intervention in their own way; I been doing a double take, realising In total 312 panes from 13 windows have just hope they enjoy it.’ been replaced with 1,248 pieces of glass – that the original broken windows had Telling the Truth Through False Teeth four pieces form the perfect break in every been replaced with … broken windows, Artist: Alex Chinneck (http://www. pane. The familiar is made unfamiliar by the albeit 312 identically smashed panes. alexchinneck.com/) in association with repetition and exactness of the work – the Sumarria Lunn Gallery. Location: corner The site was once a shoe factory and most combination of engineering and accident of Mare Street and Tudor Road, Hackney, recently a cannabis factory! Chinneck spent a completes the illusion. ‘This brilliant use E9 7FE. Installation on view: until at least gruelling four months removing the remnants: of broken glass is a witty way of both September 2012. piles of soil, wires, grow bags, water underlining the building’s being allowed to tanks, plant pots and heat lamps. Planning get run down – the broken windows - and contents permission has been sought over the years highlighting how good it could look if it had 01 Telling the Truth through False Teeth to demolish the factory and replace it with been well looked after.’ (Nichola Schild, a hotel (part of a larger scheme) but the local resident) 02 Building Watch: Leyton Marsh latest plans are for a residential block. The 03 Building Watch: 86-100 Mare Street Central and South Hackney Conservation Alex Chinneck, who lives in Hackney, was 03 Building Watch: Queen Elizabeth Areas Advisory Committee has been born in 1984 and is a graduate of the Hospital commenting on the various applications Chelsea College of Art and Design. Most and did make representations to retain the recently, he was nominated for the Royal 03 Hackney Society Events industrial building as a reminder of Tudor British Society of Sculptors’ Bursary Award. 04 Book Review Road’s heritage. The Planning Inspectorate, By making work that is unconcerned with 04 Noticeboard however, whilst being sympathetic to this creative disciplines, his sculptures and 04 Publications plea, said that it was not a good enough installations co-exist across the realms of example design-wise to warrant retention. art, design and architecture. ‘Throughout the 04 Hackney Society News Building Watch Leyton Marsh – Green Space For Whom? By Celia Coram The subject matter of Spaces is space, we would become ‘demonised’. more usually concerned with the Supported by members of the Occupy built environment of Hackney. Leyton Movement, who set up camp next to the Marsh is technically in the borough of fenced-off building site, we bonded as a Waltham Forest. However, regardless group in a very special way. Regardless of political boundaries, all the marshes of what many may perceive of Occupy, are accessed regularly by local people our personal experience as ordinary local and are of both local and national residents has been that they are very brave, significance. Open space and the built outstanding people, who put their principles environment are equally subject to before their own needs and comforts. planning legislation and processes, Following non-violent attempts to prevent and what I am about to describe is vehicle access to the site, judicial injunctions relevant to all who have an interest in were served to move the camp off Porter’s and passion for preserving the best and Field and later off the verge of the Lea championing good new design in the Bridge Road. Four people from Occupy areas in which we live. were arrested. On a chilly, snow-laden evening on 3 In April, there was a hearing at the High February, many Hackney and Waltham Court. Summing up, the judge recognised Forest residents made a precarious that local people had followed the for an adjoining site which is. It is generally journey to Waltham Forest Town Hall to democratic process without success. He find out the fate of a proposal to build a accepted knowledge that wildlife does not took into account that the three defendants just need a sanctuary to survive but also all temporary basketball facility on Porter’s before him (one person had opted to plead Field, Leyton Marsh. As we sat, squashed, the random ‘corridors’ that some people guilty at Magistrates Court) had human think we can easily give up. in the public gallery, speakers opposed to rights. However, the judge declared Article the development made some convincing 1 of Property Law to trump Articles 10 and In addition to wildlife of the marshes and coherent arguments as to why the 11 of the Human Rights Act. SLM have a suffering disturbance, local people have had ‘temporary basketball facility’ should not contrary view – that the ownership of the to sacrifice restrictions on their freedoms be built on Leyton Marsh, backed up by a land is not lawful since it was granted on an of movement, expression, assembly and petition of over 1,000 signatures gathered erroneous basis and a judicial review has the right just to roam as a result of the in a very short time. Those pro the plan been submitted on that basis. development of a sports facility. Today did not, as I recall, make much of their Porter’s Field bears no trace of the Occupy At a local meeting organised by the ODA argument, mostly relying on the mantra campers, but there is a large, white (Olympic Delivery Authority) to inform and that ‘The Olympics were an exceptional ‘Lightweight Event Structure’, enclosed in a reassure the public about the restoration circumstance’ for development on protected Stalag-style fence, with tarmac laid crudely of Leyton Marsh (at which eight police Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). as an access road. Why was this land officers were present including three in plain sacrificed when there were, in our opinion, As the vote taken by a mere seven clothes), the residents spoke about the alternative, sporting facilities based within councillors went three-three with the Chair’s climate of fear generated by the apparent the required distance of the Olympic Park casting vote sealing the fate of the Porter’s ‘total’ policing at Leyton Marsh. However, as well as industrial buildings that could Field part of the Marsh, I had that ‘been SLM continues to monitor, record and have been converted? It is evident that here before’ feeling as exactly the same challenge the various bodies involved the contract for the said Lightweight Event outcome a few months earlier had befallen about the environmental impact that the Structure was set out by the Contracting the Essex Wharf site with agreement for a building process has entailed, e.g. removing Authority to award on or before May 2011, housing development. more than the 15 cm of topsoil agreed by and designated to be there. One might speculate that the ‘temporary’ Waltham Forest Council, and unearthing This illustrates a particular difficulty that aspect of this building helped to justify post-WW2 toxic rubble and leaving it local people face in responding to large- agreement on the basketball training uncovered for months. scale initiatives – the requirement to build facility being built – but this was not to SLM’s main goal now is to ensure that the on such a scale necessitates setting up the be a mere tent but a construction which land is restored to the conditions required contracting processes well in advance of required concrete foundations and other by local people, with the right kind of turf proper consultation. infrastructure not generally considered to be and plant species. Regular users of Porter’s of a temporary nature. Field have knowledge of what was there and As locals, we need to be alert to the do not want to be fobbed off with ‘quick infringements of our human rights – this Later in the lobby, horrified and disgruntled fix turf’. We might prefer to wait longer and might sound dramatic when pitched against people drew together, contacts were have the field returned in better condition situations in other parts of the world, yet exchanged and a meeting was organised post 15 October 2012 (the promised date recent events have led me to see that we the following week resulting in the Save when reparations should begin). We are are far less free than we think. The right of Leyton Marshes (SLM) campaign. concerned because, although the basketball access to common land (or land managed Little did we know then that, as local people facility site was not on an SSSI (Site of on our behalf) can be withdrawn with the with a deep connection to local green Special Scientific Interest), it is a buffer zone flick of a pen.