Installation at the Elephant and Castle: October 2006

So, an idea...

So now we have a plan...

putting some examples of British wildlife onto a roundabout at the Elephant and Castle.

A badger, a rabbit or two, a woodpecker maybe.

This done in the way of the Swedish artist Akay. Except that mine is to be a photographic work, thus PHOTOGRAPHS of the animals are to be used.

So one goes to the tutor with the idea, which is considered acceptable. Even 'very exciting'.

Forgive me, I am too old to get that excited over a photograph that I am not being paid for.

So I have some problems.
A) What materials to use...

so a chat with the technician...

and then..

B) What happens if I put an unexpected exhibition alongside a busy road, distracting a driver to the extent that an accident occurs? Some of the blame will be placed at my door, and even defending such an action will be difficult and stressful and expensive. I could be protected, but in a straight fight between the legal expertise on my side and that on an insurance company's, I'm with the Woolwich!..Direct Line to the small claims court, hasta Aviva!

...and similar but different....

C) As I do not own the land at the E&C I enquired at another, different, local authority as to the likely response. I found that such an installation would require permission from the owner, and might also require planning permission. I can apply for planning permission over someone else's land fill in the form and write a cheque. So who will provide the cheque?

Naaaaaa! "Go guerrilla.."

So there is an Elephant and Castle regeneration plan!

http://www.elephantandcastle.org.uk/

It is intended to remove the underpasses, to rework the housing, and to replace the 1960s style shopping centre.
So perhaps I might be able to install some animal wildlife onto the roundabout whilst the powers that be get around to installing a more person friendly place to live and work.

So perhaps a badger on the roundabout would change people's view of the spaces? Or a rabbit or two!
Would anyone notice? Would the traffic speed around any less quickly? Did you notice the animal in the picture? Will the E&C locals?

"There was a weed-filled lump of land surrounded by highways and bike paths near Karlberg station. It was fenced in, but somehow wild. If you even noticed it when you passed by, it would be hard to imagine anything living creature surviving there. But maybe thats how it started, by imagining what creatures could possibly live on No mans land..."

this from

http://www.akayism.org/streetart/zoo/zoo.html

site for wildlife?

site for wildlife?
Originally uploaded by a1an.atkinson@btinternet.com.

There are open spaces; cut off by the traffic from everything.

Connected only by the smelly subways, these spaces are usually populated only by the rats and pigeons.

des res?

des res?
Originally uploaded by a1an.atkinson@btinternet.com.

More people live here than live in my village. The scene is filled by the huge concrete buildings, the surveillance cameras, and the sterile grass play areas that have no-one playing on them.

E&C regeneration notice

E&C regeneration notice
Originally uploaded by a1an.atkinson@btinternet.com.

I did find that the E&C Regeneration project existed....at some time.

Here their leaflets might have been available, but no-one has replenished the leaflet holders.

No-one cares.