Demolished
Patrick, Age 18
This piece explores the interdependence of architecture and community, as well as the consequences of demolition. It is based around the architectural plan of the Brutalist housing estate, Robin Hood Gardens, which is midway through demolition. I cut out the blocks' outlines, tearing them from the landscape, and then threaded coloured wool across the voids, creating a semi-transparent net. The lines represent people's journeys in life which intercept, forming a community. Being where the building once stood, they represent the buildings’ foundations, whilst also depending upon the architecture for sanctuary from the chaotic world and society beyond. The thick, dark paint with thorns and wire (materials inspired by Anselm Kiefer's work) seem to be closing in on these fragile networks, now exposed as wounds in the landscape. Housing is a precious resource that must be built and preserved with social, economic and environmental sustainability in mind, to avoid demolition's consequences.