Dover gateway competition proposal

Gateway to the white cliffs: A walk from today to the upper Cretaceous a proposal by: Lucy Harrison, Artist & Roland Karthaus, Architect July 2015

Proposal

Community engagement

Fabrication and Installation

This proposal is for a series of markers for the Gateway

The project would invite local residents to contribute

The markers will be made from rammed concrete, which

to the White Cliffs of Dover, with a theme of history and

objects that relate to their own Dover histories.

is hard wearing and the process of making could also

memory, echoing the process with which the chalk

Ornaments, keepsakes, toys, jewellery, utensils and

involve local resident volunteers. The largest marker will

of the cliffs has been built up since the Cretaceous

a range of other items which relate to people’s own

be located at the foot of the walking route as a ‘gateway’.

epoch. Making reference to the material of the chalk

experience of Dover will be emedded as ‘modern fossils’

cliffs – coccoliths formed of the skeletons of algae over

into the sculpture. An inlaid map in the shape of the trail

On one face of the gateway marker will be a simple map

millions of years – and using the material itself to create

will show the route of the walk along with the locations of

guide to the route of the path with some points of interest

the gateway to the walk, the markers will contain their

smaller markers which will punctuate the trail along the

marked out. The other faces will contain the embedded

own ‘fossils’ made up of embedded casts of objects

way.

shapes of local people’s selections of objects related to

contributed by the local community. The choice of objects

their own histories of Dover.

would use humour and include quirky connections to the

The community engagement would consist of a call out

place and the people as well as beautiful and meaningful

in local press and social media inviting people to attend

We would use our links to the University of East London

items related to its history.

a series of events where items would be collected and

Architecture course, and University for the Creative Arts

logged, the results of which could be displayed online

Fine Art and Architecture courses, to engage students in

as well as for use in the sculpture. An emphasis would

working on the project as work experience.

be placed on imaginative responses to the call out and we would hope for an unusual range of objects to be collected. A series of walks would be planned, where members of the public could engage with the project both before and after installation, using the contributed items as a trigger for talks, stories and other engagement events.

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Gateway sculpture: Materials and form bench

portal inlaid map

The form of the Gateway sculpture is designed to evoke the cliffs, appearing as a series of stepped forms that create a sense of movement as they are approached.

The sculpture will be made from rammed concrete: a technique that allows ‘layers’ of different coloured materials to be built up as a wall. The rammed concrete will illustrate the ‘layering’ of the cliffs over time and will act as a backdrop to an inlaid map of the footpath. The map will not be to scale, but will illustrate and interpret the layers of time that are passed as one ascends the footpath. Significant contemporary objects, supplied by local people will be fixed to the formwork so that reliefs of the objects will appear as ‘modern fossils’ in the surface of the structure. Chalk will be used in amongst other pigments to create these layers.

inlaid map

rammed concrete

chalk white concrete

modern fossils

Planning consent will likely be required for the entire artwork and we will assist with this process.

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Roland Karthaus & Lucy Harrison 2015

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Gateway sculpture: Construction The structure may require a basic foundation and re-

Precedent: Altab Ali park with Muf

G

Anticipated location, pending survey

inforcement and we have included for consulting an

UEL Architecture department worked with Muf to construct a series of rammed concrete beams,

engineer. A site survey has not been undertaken and the

containing archaeological fragments as part of the

exact form and size of the sculpture will depend on the

landscaping works to Altab Ali park in East London.

site conditions, but the intention is to locate it adjacent to

The beams were fabricated in the workshops at UEL

Approx. 2.4m

the garages at the foot of the climb. The final form will be more site-specific than the concept shown here.

To make the best use of the budget we intend to

and then installed on site by the main landscape contractor.

use volunteer labour where possible, including UEL architecture students and possibly also UCA students, with proper supervision. Formwork will be constructed from plywood and timber with steel ties. Access to this location for mini diggers and concrete mixers should

Elevation

be possible. We believe this sculpture can be achieved Approx. 3.5m

within the budget, together with local support and voluntary, unskilled labour. UEL has a long history of undertaking similar live construction projects and regularly builds 6 or 7 structures per academic year. We anticipate that a construction contractor may be required to undertake parts of the work (such as foundations) but there are different options for procurement which we will explore together with the client if we are successful.

Plan

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Waymarkers and modern fossils Waymarkers will be located at viewpoints along the route, to act as natural stopping points and to measure the walkers’ progress as they ascend the footpath. Each waymarker will be a simple, chalk concrete ‘stone’ with a single ‘modern fossil’ imprint, together with a short piece of text about the object, or / and the location. A larger waymarker will mark the head of the footpath, next to the proposed bench.

The modern fossils will be contributed by local people, together with stories about their significance. Each will be used to make a silicone mould, then recast in concrete to imprint into the waymarkers and gateway sculpture. The original objects will be returned unharmed to their owners.

The location of waymarkers will be decided following a walking survey with local residents.

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About the artists Biographies Lucy Harrison www.lucy-harrison.co.uk

Roland Karthaus www.karthaus.co.uk

Lucy Harrison is an artist working on collaborative

Architect, MA. Regen, FHEA, FRSA, RIBA

projects in the public realm. Past projects have been

RIBA Client Advisor

This will be a collaborative project and we intend to

commissioned by Tate, Art on the Underground,

Director, Karthaus Design & Programme Leader at UEL

work with Alan Chandler, coordinator of live projects at

Futurecity, London Legacy Development Corporation and

Roland is an Architect who researches and teaches at

the University of East London and potentially with the

The Legacy List. Her work examines our complicated

the University of East London; as well as running his

University of Creative Arts.

relationship with place and memory, and often involves

own architecture practice. He is interested in the way

the people who live in a place in the work. Walking is

that people and places interact and in 2012 was an

We have a number of structural engineers that we can

an important part of her practice, both as a research

organiser of an international conference: The Production

call on as well as specialist in rammed earth construction

process and as part of the work itself, and she has

of Place, which is the subject of a forthcoming book

if required.

developed guided walks for several projects, including

to be published by the RIBA. With UEL students and

Canvey Guides (2007) where the Rendezvous Walking

his colleague Alan Chandler, he has delivered several

We carry Public Liability Insurance and Professional

Club was founded, The Stratford Grapevine (2008) where

‘live’ projects: built structures for external clients using

Indemnity Insurance that will cover the design work and

she worked in collaboration with the Newham Striders

meagre resources each within a period of two weeks.

consultation events.

and Ramblers, and Mapping Your Manor (2011) where

He has worked in several leading architecture practices

she developed several walks mapping the edges of

in London and completed numerous buildings. His

There are various ways that the project could be

the Olympic Park with local residents. She was Senior

practice is currently designing a new nursery on Clapham

procured, which we will explore with the client if we are

Lecturer in Fine Art at University for the Creative Arts from

Common for Lambeth Council and converting a multi-

successful.

2001 to 2013 and through this role has experience of

storey retail building on Tottenham Court Road into

Kent and many links in the local area.

offices. Roland is co-chair of ArchitectsE17: a local

Collaborators

architecture interest group in Walthamstow London which has delivered several grant-funded art projects aimed at improving interest and engagement with the built environment. He has a great deal of experience with community engagment projects and is continually exploring ways that the design process can be opened up to ordinary people.

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Our projects

won a limited edition map with the best stories printed on the back. The intention was to raise awareness about the ‘community asset’ provisions in the localism act and to understand how the built environment gains significance

Roland Karthaus: Selected. relevant projects

in people’s lives.

RSA Transitions (2014) Karthaus Design was appointed by the RSA as the

Wood Street Dolly (2013) Combining his role as co-chair of ArchitectsE17 and programme leader at UEL, Roland organised this project to capture local people’s feelings about Wood Street: an historic high street in Walthamstow. ‘Dolly the trolley’ travelled around the area and gathered more than 200 postcards completed by local people. A family ideas day then formed the brief for a temporary installation to display the postcards, designed and built by UEL architecture students. The installation was erected and taken down again in a single day, where it housed a meal, supplied by the local cafe. The intention was to open a wider public debate about the regeneration of the area and was grant-funded by the RIBA, together with commercial sponsors.

Where in Wally? (2015) Another ArchitectsE17 project - Roland secured £1,000 grant from the RIBA to map local residents’ ‘treasured spaces’. Stories of each space were gathered and the locations mapped on an online googlemap. During the E17 art trail, each location was tagged with a physical label, carrying the story about the place, forming a treasure hunt. People who collected a number of tags Roland Karthaus & Lucy Harrison 2015

Architect for a feasibility study and pilot project to develop a social enterprise model for rehabilitation of those leaving prison. Roland developed a consultation toolkit that was used to engage a myriad (around 200) stakeholders, including prisoners in the design of the model and the pilot project for HMP Everthorpe in Humberside. Roland was co-author to the RSA final reports with Rachel O’Brien and John Marshall.

The Production of Place (2012) Together with two UEL colleagues, Roland organised this conference that attracted speakers from all continents of the world to UEL. The conference combined papers exploring the notion of place with artists workshops that resulted in installations during the conference. Richard Wilson made a chair tunnel, Catalina Pollak made a sound installation and Tejo Remy cast concrete furniture.

The opening talk was given by the author Iain Sinclair.

Buildings As an Architect, Roland has designed numerous buildings, including offices, housing and regeneration projects.

Art installation workshops at the Production of Place

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Above: Wood Street Dolly Right: RSA Transitions

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Our projects Lucy Harrison: Selected commissioned public art projects

Captivating Canvey guidebook and walk

Good Company (2014) A project exploring people’s connections to local businesses past and present in Ilford, culminating in a guidebook to the town and a series of walks and events.

Commissioned by Vision Redbridge.

Home on High (2014) A project developed through several months working on the Brownfield Estate in Poplar, Lucy ran a series of workshops and food events with local residents and produced a short film which was installed into the former home of a local father and son who were among the first residents in Balfron Tower in 1969. Commissioned by The Legacy List.

Carnaby Echoes (2013)

Mapping Your Manor (2011) A series of audio recordings, available on the project website, made in collaboration with local groups and individuals living and working on the edges of the Olympic Park through a series of guided walks.

Commissioned by the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Canvey Guides (2007) Part of ‘Art U Need’ curated by Bob & Roberta Smith, the project instigated the Rendezvous Walking Club and engaged local residents in the creation of a guidebook of anecdotes and rumours from the island and a day of resident-led guided tours. Commissioned by the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership and managed by Commissions East.

A major public art project exploring the musical history of the Carnaby Estate in central London, the project consists of a series of films available on a website and via a mobile phone app, with permanent markers indicating points on the walking tour. Commissioned by Shaftesbury PLC and curated by Futurecity.

Mapping Your Manor walk, 2011, photo by James Robertshaw Roland Karthaus & Lucy Harrison 2015

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Above and right: Carnaby Echoes Below:Good Company Below right: Home on High

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Contact: Roland Karthaus Karthaus Design Ltd roland@karthaus.co.uk 07901 677465 Lucy Harrison Artist lucyharrison@btopenworld.com 07971 963668

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