Regeneration 3
Façades of blocks boarded up with metal and wood feature in much of this series. Other windows are obscured by newspaper, still others conceal interiors behind drawn netting. The various textures blocking these openings is an important symbolic act, sealing the homes from the outside world – and sealing their fate as condemned. These images highlight the disjunct between the utopian ideal pursued by planners of housing projects in the 60s and 70s and their dystopian and bleak transformation in just over half a century.
Once familiar with the rhythms of the ongoing demolition on the estate, I noticed that the appearance of markings on the pavement (picture 2) heralded the end of a building’s life. The mysterious, coloured glyphs, a secret code for the dismantling of a residential block; an unfamiliar, symbolic language brings quiet, replacing the everyday dialogue of life that once echoed the streets and homes of the estate.