Dreaming of Crystal Palaces….

Dreaming of Crystal Palaces, Acrylic on Canvas, 220x170cm, 2009-2010


Dreaming of Crystal Palaces….

This painting was inspired by the Great Eastern, a steam ship built in 1858 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Her tragic fate turned out to be inversely proportional to the grand ambition of its creator. Brunel, a pioneer in bridge construction and leader of the expansion of the railway system in 19th century England, took an early interest in long distance travel and thus a passion for ship-design. The Great Eastern was to be his crowning achievement.

She was designed to carry a cargo of goods and more than 4,000 people to India and Australia without the need to dock for fuel. This was a major challenge at a time when boats simply could not carry sufficient coal to transport their passengers to their destination without stocking up en route.

The Great Eastern would be the biggest ship the world had ever seen. Twice the length and over five times the weight of any previous ship, it would be the largest moveable object man had ever created. A length of 211 m was only surpassed in 1899 by the 215 m long Oceanic, and her gross tonnage only surpassed in 1901 by the Celtic. But most of all, unheard of at the time, the hull would be built entirely from wrought iron. It was a floating response to the Crystal Palace, the majestic building of glass and iron designed for the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Construction started in the yard of the shipbuilder Scott Russell, based on the Isle of Dogs in London's East End. After four years of industrious labor, while plagued by financial setbacks and logistical nightmares, she was finally completed in 1858. The maiden voyage was ill-fated, however, and a mighty explosion crippled her. This proved too much for Brunel who died soon after in 1859 of a heart attack.

After significant repairs, she would then ply her trade for several years as a passenger liner operating between Britain and America. Commercial failure as a ferry led to conversion to a cable-laying ship across the Atlantic. The final indignity for the Great Eastern was when she finished her life of trade as a floating music hall in Liverpool before ultimately being broken up in 1889.

The only surviving witness of Brunel’s grandiose dream, her top mast, was purchased by Liverpool Football Club who were looking at the time for a flag pole for their Anfield ground. It still stands there today, at the Kop end.

Détail

London 1870s and now

To accompany the exhibition, Points of View, Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs, the British Library created a blog where they posted photographs comparing street views in London in 1870s and today. It is pretty cool to see that some streets did not change very much while others are barely recognizable. Have a look here: London 1870s and now


There are also some interesting pictures of 19th century life organized by themes where you can find portraits of Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde in the Portrait section. See here:
19th century life in photographs

A Victorian diary...

In my research on the Industrial Revolution and the marks it left on the present day, I came across Nathaniel Bryceson's diary published by the Westminster City Council. The Council releases one entry every day (quite short) which gives us a great insight into 19th century Victorian times. The diary runs from the 1st of January to December 12th, 1846 and contains entries for 260 days in total.

It is believed that Nathaniel wrote several diaries but it appears only this one has survived. When the diary opens, Nathaniel is employed as a clerk at Lea’s Coal Wharf (Eccleston Wharf) situated off Upper Belgrave Place (now Buckingham Palace Road), Pimlico. Click on the link below for a close up view on the life and intrigue of one young man in a very different time:

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/libraries/archives/victorian-clerk/intro/

Benjamin Brecknell Turner

Benjamin Brecknell Turner, Crystal Palace Transept, Hyde Park, about 1852. Museum no. PH.1-1982

Interesting 19th century pictures by Benjamin Brecknell Turner including interior shots of the Crystal palace built in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/33433-popup.html

The Industrial Revolution: project summary for 2009-2010

The idea for this project was sparked upon my return to London following a four months stay in a fishing village in the North of Iceland. The contrast was stark: from living through the harshness of a winter by the artic circle, observing the dizzying patterns of the migratory birds and becoming part of the routine of the 400 villagers, I landed in a metropolis where a population of close to 10 million people share a space of little more than 1,500km².

Adjusting to the level of noise, the pollution and just the very fact of living with so many other fellow urban dwellers, I started wondering about the concept of the city: where did it come from, why would people choose to live in these giant urban conurbations, how did we end up choosing to exist in an artificially built environment where everything is easily available and consumed: warmth, food, entertainment but at the same time completely cut off from where we come from and belong – nature.

Industrialisation transformed how and where people lived. It all started in England at the end of the 18^th century: scientific innovations such as steam production, an expanding workforce and access to natural resources laid the foundations for this industrial explosion. The urban centres expanded or often even emerged: factories started producing goods on a scale never previously seen, while the canals, roads, railways and steamships built to transport these goods shaped the landscape.

Personally I am most interested in the structures that bear the mark of this early transformation but which have fallen into disuse due to new innovations or welfare concerns. Abandoned sites and discarded machinery that are viewed as scars on the landscape are interestingly being reclaimed by nature. My intention is to investigate these places, symbols of a bygone era, yet also the first witnesses of the industrialization, which has had such a profound influence on the society, environment and landscape in which we live.

I will develop this project further during my time at the Florence Art Trust in London and should will use a variety of materials including film, photography and painting. Updates will follow shortly on this website.

Great Eastern Launching Ramp, Isle of Dog, August 2009