IPS: Thesis

I ended up changing my idea for my final year independent study. The original idea came part-way through the "BLOCK" project, meaning I hadn't fully solidified my ideas on either the current project or where I wanted to go next. Not to mention, all the deadlines were at the same time so I don't feel like I had ample time to consider a topic direction.

My original idea was a comparison between the Isle of Man and London and potentially urban legends as a commentary on gentrification. I'm not really sure what that means anymore?

After the results for my IPS pitch came back, it was clear my tutors weren't too enthusiastic about the idea I did have, while at the same time not offering particularly helpful pointers about where I could take the idea, if it was cliched etc.

What I in fact want to look at is the "character" of buildings, how building reflect their owners and what can we draw from this to build a narrative about gentrification in London. It' essentially almost the same point I ended up making at the end of "BLOCK"- "they will have forgotten there used to be culture here"- but looking more closely at the aesthetics.

The idea came when I was walking to meet my sister, through the backstreets between Falmouth Road SE1 at London Bridge City. I guess, there are a lot of urban gardens in my block but the ones round there are very pretty. However, that part of London has newer builds too, and I noticed the newer builds, the hip flats etc- looked so clinical, so un-lived in.

This reminded me of my shock at learning some of the results of gentrification on the Heygate site were already inhabited. Famously, all of them were sold to investors abroad, reportedly advertised in Singapore before the UK. I've seldom seen people even enter the building. It doesn't seem lived in. Perhaps it isn't?

I also recently have become fascinated with urban gardens, mostly because due to the summer, my neighbours have all made a beautiful job of making little gardens in the walkway outside our flats. At the same time, the council has locked the residents out of the communal garden I overlook, and I've yet to enter the Elephant Park "communal garden" because it's fucking gated (or "gated" is an understatement, there's a lockable DOOR), behind high-ass hoardings and don't think I didn't notice they put security cameras up recently.

I think the aesthetics of "living" somewhere can come through stronger than people realise. After all, we take these quirks for granted; what does make a flat different if it has a clothing line and a few plants outside it? But, from what I've seen, it says something about the way people treat their property and living space. I want to look at that.