Market Estate Project, 2010

In February we were artists in residents at the Market Estate, a project transforming 100 empty flats in a 1960s London housing estate into an art production site and exhibition arena, right before its slated demolition.

Market Estate Residency Statement

We came to London live on the Market Estate for two weeks and work site-specifically. In our collaboration, we approach a site as a place in which to move through and to house action. Our work together results in video installation pieces that are framed around a performative actions.

When we arrived at Market Estate, we were immediately surprised by how my residents were still living on the estate. As artists this was ethically challenging for us, and informed our decision to work outside the estate as opposed to inside the flats. Living on the estate made us conscious of the interior flats as private spaces, and we found ourselves more interested in the construction of the building itself, and what was left behind as people moved out.

During our time on the estate we made two video pieces, Corridor and Pile.

Corridor
approx. 4 min (single channel or loop)
View an excerpt of the video

On our first day here we set up an outdoor tea station and sat down with residents and neighbors to chat about life here on the estate. With the exception of the local teenagers, most people seemed excited to leave and that the building was being torn down. Many neighbors talked about being scared walking by the building, that they would walk fast or cross the street. One resident said that it was simply just not safe here. We were interested in this idea of the estate as producing a condition of fear, and that fear often being invisible or generated from something that may or may not happen. While we don’t deny that violence was prevalent, we are also aware of the role stigma played in contributing to the living conditions on the estate. This piece explores the dynamic between what is invisible and tangible fear.

Pile
three channel looping installation (30 minute per cycle)

During our time here we have quietly witnessed the last remaining residents move out of the building. With each move, new piles accumulate in the hallways of the things that have been left behind. Initially we looked at the piles for some clue into the lives of the residents, but quickly realized that discarded items tell very little about the lives and history of the place.

We came to look at the piles as artifacts of this soon to be demolished estate that failed to successfully house its residents safely and securely. These are records of failure. The people we have talked to have many different ideas for why this place failed— the stigma, its poor upkeep, the residents, the building design. Regardless of the reasons, the fact remains that despite the high expectations for this place when it was built, it did fail. Our piece is a meditation on this failure in this odd moment in the buildings history.