James Smith
2018
Landscape is a collective arena that houses all of our fracturing opinions, supporting and load bearing. Often its history is taken into consideration by the masses too cheaply and the whereabouts of how it came to being can be lost within a few short generations.
The sense of permanence the post Second World War landscape shaped upon large swathes of Europe in terms of immediate impact almost goes without any ‘living’ rival. Today the perception of the here and now is perceived as an instant permanence, but by pulling back and offering examinations of fore and backgrounds, it becomes obvious that (the built) landscape is ephemeral.
This post war epoch is now seen at best as a long-term legacy and its ends are starting to fray, It’s not about a breakdown of a utopian vision but rather an indication to the un-sustainability of it through lack of investment – financially, politically and socially.
This era and arena of new and expanded towns was a projection of the future, a mental state of mind – built to last is now finding itself both a shackling power and a tangible springboard. Maybe not alone but Britain is currently experiencing the push me, pull me after affects of post war ideologies.
London Overspill is a visceral ciphering of a landscape construct from South East to East Anglia to the East Midlands; Offering up a sense, a facade of stability and reliance through architecture and infrastructure, but identifying the reality of static structures and a changing civic society.