Falconbrook Pumping Station, London
Falconbrook Pumping Station: Inner Eye, Child’s I, Elinor Stanley
Year
2018-2024
Client
fereday pollard for Tideway
Artist
Elinor Stanley
Service
Commission Management
Location
Falconbrook Pumping Station, London
A collage for the hoarding at Falconbrook Pumping Station
Artist Elinor Stanley’s collaboration with twenty-five pupils from Falconbrook Primary School resulted in a fantastical college for the hoarding at the Falconbrook Pumping Station construction site in Wandsworth.
Through a series of workshops in autumn 2017 Elinor took the children on an imaginary journey through the history of the River Thames and all of the interconnected conduits of sewers, plumbing and hidden rivers. They looked back through history at the different people who lived alongside the river and the trades that connected London to the rest of the world. Exploring mysteries of the deep and imagined possible futures they wove themselves and their families into a rich river narrative.
“Working with the children and teachers of Falconbrook School was brilliant. The children had so much energy and enthusiasm and together we learned about the vast and varied history of the river, the people who have lived along it and the travel and trade it has enabled from all over the world. The richness and variation of the children’s responses was wonderful to work with.”
Inner Eye, Child’s I presents the students’ imaginative view of the world. Romans, monsters, engineers, and mermaids cavort through the subterranean sewage systems and waterways to create a modern take on the Mappa Mundi – a medieval European map of the world. Up close, it reveals the details of many strange meetings and discoveries between characters.
Formed in two parts, the first part of the artwork depicts the mouth of the River Wandle where it meets the Thames, while the second part focuses on where the River Thames runs through Wandsworth. The history and industry of the River Wandle is an important element of the artwork. After an observational drawing walk from the School to where the Thames meets the Wandle, the pupils mapped the lay of the land. Roman and Viking invasions, shields and pots that have been found along Wandsworth’s foreshore and were all inspiration for the pupils. The Wandle, heavily worked since Roman times, was lined with textile mills in the 17th and 18th centuries, and used to flow pink and blue from all the dyes used by the tanneries. The artwork also features self-portraits of all children attending the school in autumn 2017.
The artwork was de-installed in 2024 and some of the artwork panels will be returning to Falconbrook Primary School.
“I was surprised at the children’s creativity and what they produced when they were able to just do art- without many of the normal restrictions and criteria we use in school. ”
Elinor Stanley works with drawing, painting and performance to explore how humans use myth and illusionary narrative to make sense of the world, considering how these myths impact on contemporary concerns. She wants audiences to find their own narratives within her work, narratives that are ambiguous, intimate and tangible.
For more information see:
www.tideway.london