Fascinated by the end of the Anthropocene and the post-human future we are hurtling towards, Imogen Rendall re-purposes discarded materials to create miniature ruined landscapes and through night photography, explores the link between the history that shaped her hometown and what it's future may hold.
The artwork that I created during Unit 9 is heavily centred around the idea of the end of the Anthropocene, a world without humans caused by the relentless destruction of our planet. By installing miniature sculptures of city ruins, I set the scene of our not-so-distant future. The scattered ruins placed on the floor are symbolic of memory, of what has been. The only remnants of human life on earth will be the derelict ruins of the towns and cities we once inhabited, along with the piles and piles of plastic waste, meaningless possessions that we thought were more important than our entire existence. We do not know for certain what will be the exact cause of our extinction on Planet Earth, climate change may cause our species to slowly disappear as we struggle to find water and grow food, we may be wiped out by a pandemic or destroy the world through a nuclear war, a few examples which the viewer might contemplate. Either way, it will probably be our own doing.
My artistic practice was significantly altered by the Covid-19 pandemic, as I decided to move back to Wales in order to be with my family during the country's lockdown. Being back at home with limited art supplies and my work in progress 'Hereafter' left behind in the studio, I had little choice but to make use of the materials that I had around me, so started to experiment with melting plastic waste such as take-away tubs in order to create similar ruins to those in 'Hereafter'. The transparency of these plastic sculptures gave them a light and ghostly effect, so I decided that the most effective way to install these would be by hanging them with fishing wire, which created the illusion that they were floating. Behind my house is a brick shed which had previously been a washing house for our terrace. Inside the shed at the back you can still see a wash basin and furnace which I thought would be an effective site to install these sculptures, linking the history of a Victorian building to these ghostly ruins of the future.
I was becoming increasingly worried about Newtown's already struggling economy and how these local businesses would survive the pandemic, which led me to begin my exploration into the history of my hometown. I used my one hours daily exercise to rediscover the place that I had spent the majority of my life, noticing things that I previously would not have given a second glance, in particular the sheer amount of disused buildings, many that were derelict and had been boarded up.
An important part of Newtown's history is the now derelict Montgomery Canal which was one of the main ways to transport goodsto and from Newtown's booming textile industry during the Victorian era before both eventually collapsed. Along the canal are many traces of this time, including signage and water pumps. What struck me most was the amount of buildings from lock keepers' cottages to barns that had been left to crumble, a sad reminder of the thriving town that Newtown once was. Inspired by night photographers such as Richard Billingham and Darren Almond, I set out to the canal with my camera in the dark of night to capture these abandoned structures. Painting them with a torchlight on a long exposure gave the buildings this glowing quality as if they are trying to grab the attention of the people that have forgotten them, contrasting with the surreal atmosphere created by the sickly orange-green light from the torch.
I propose to exhibit my Unit 9 selected works in two sites. Both sites are disused buildings in Newtown and I believe that exhibiting in these sites will give them a new purpose, remind the local public of their existence and hopefully encourage people to make use of these buildings to prove that there is hope for Newtown to thrive once again.
The first building that I propose to exhibit in was the first catholic church in Newtown, established by Father Roscoe Vaughan Minton Beddoes and named after St Frances. The congregation then moved to a bigger building in 1947, leaving the original church boarded up and disused since.
As the viewer enters the site, the first piece that they will come across is the sculptural installation 'Hereafter' scattered around the main floor area. The sculptures will be spread out so that viewer can walk among them, spectating from every angle. Because St Frances's is boarded up, I have complete control over the lighting conditions. Therefor, 'Hereafter' will be lit from different angles creating dark shadows on the walls, floor and ceiling. Along the walls will be the blown up photographs of the canal buildings, printed onto matte board, three on the left wall, three on the right wall. These will be blown up as big as possible so that they almost cover the wall from floor to ceiling, with gaps in between the photographs to see the original brickwork. These photographs will be dimly lit from above as if shone on by a torch after stumbling upon them in the dark. At the far end of the church, where the altar would be, is where the plastic sculptures will be installed, hanging from two beams in the ceiling with different lengths of fishing wire, one row of sculptures hanging in front of the other. These sculptures will be lit from underneath as to hide the fishing wire and give the transparent sculptures a glowing effect as seen in the shed installation. These lights will also create soft shadows on the brick wall behind them.
The second site that I propose to exhibit in is the remains of St Mary's church, also in Newtown. St Mary's church was abandoned after it was irreversibly damaged by flooding in the 1840s, a recurring problem in Newtown until flood defences were finally built in 1966. Before this, it was widely believed that the entire town would eventually be abandoned due to persistent flooding.
The exhibition will be open from the time of sunset. Because the site has no roof, I have little control over the light conditions, therefor opening the exhibition when the sun begins to set allows me to use the darkness to my advantage and install lighting. There are two entrances to St Mary's, the first entrance is where the viewer will begin a walk through of the sculptures 'Hereafter'. The sculptures will be spaced out so that viewers can weave through them, experiencing the piece from all angles. 'Hereafter' will be lit using dim spotlights from all sides, creating large shadows along the ruined walls of St Mary's, projecting the ruins of the future onto the ruins of the past. Also along the ruined walls will be the blown up photographs of the canal buildings, printed onto matte board. Because of the fragility of the ruin walls, the photographs will be placed on stands parallel to the walls. Two will be against the wall just right of the entrance, two on the opposite wall and two on the far end wall, near the exit. These photographs will be dimly lit from above to give the effect of a torch shining on them. At the back half of the site the plastic sculptures will be installed, suspended from three lightweight poles at varying heights so that the viewer can walk among them. These sculptures will again be lit from underneath as to hide the fishing wire and give the illusion that the sculptures are glowing. These lights will also create soft shadows on the ruin walls and on the photographs behind them.
Brisco House
The Cross
Broad Street
Newtown
Powys
SY16 2BB
Dear Mr Selby,
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Imogen Rendall, my family moved to Newtown when I was just three months old and have lived in Newtown ever since. I am a fine art student coming to the end of my degree at Wimbledon College of Arts and therefore would like to make a proposal for an exhibition of my work.
As you have stated yourself, a small town such as Newtown is extremely vulnerable to a challenging retail and business environment, which has unfortunately led to an abundance of disused buildings, many of which are derelict. As a local artist I would like to re-engage with such sites in order to celebrate the town’s uniqueness and fascinating local history.
My proposal is to hold an exhibition at the former site of St Frances’s church, at the rear of Newtown Town Hall. My work consists of sculptures and photography exploring the future and the possible end of the Anthropocene. After moving home due to the Covid-19 pandemic I felt compelled to re-connect and re-discover my hometown by investigating Newtown’s intriguing history. I could not help but realise how, since the decline of the textile industry and abandonment of the canal, Newtown’s community has begun to fade.
By re-engaging with sites such as St Frances’s church, I intend to remind local people of Newtown’s past and reignite a sense of community. In addition to the exhibition, I am offering a series of workshops, both for schools and the adult community, on how to reimagine and make use of such abandoned sites in order to celebrate our beautiful town.
I propose we schedule a meeting where I may introduce myself and my artwork in person and discuss this further.
Yours sincerely,
Miss Imogen Rendall
