London's Pollution in the Urban Environment
To further develop my understanding of how pollution physically impacts an area, I wanted to take primary source photos of an urban environment that had been exposed to pollution over decades of industrial work. This led me to London, where vast areas of the inner city and city centre had visible accumulations of soot and other particles caused by the production of air pollution built up across the surface of the walls.
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From these photos it is evident, how the ash from combustion is able to accumulate on the surface of the walls and as a result stain the urban setting. These photographs show the textures and the colours of air pollution and how it is applied to the surface of a wall.
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These photos have informed me of how to best present air pollution and the impacts it can have on an environment. Therefore from these photos i have been able to produce mixed media responses, as well as digital collages to present the visual and textural impacts of pollution.
Across London there have been various schemes established to try and combat the negative effects air pollution has had on the urban architecture. A focal point of Regent Street is the Hamley's toy store that was built in 1881. However, over decades of being exposed to the toxic particles in the air released from combustion, the Portland stone walls had become faded and dirty. To fix this issue the Thomann-Hanry company was employed to clean the building in 2019 and in doing so restored an iconic London landmark. Therefore on my trip into London i took primary source photos of this newly cleaned shop to show how years of damage and neglect can be overturned by action against pollution.
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