Beckton Alps

The video’s central axis is the history of the artificial mountain called Beckton Alps—a place that represents the ultimate scenario of a post-industrialization period. Nowadays, a heap of industrial debris lies in the area where a gas works industry once stood. Back then, there were endless black mountains of the original gasworks, due to the large number of chemical by-products resulting from gas production. Ironically, the place has been dubbed the Alps; today, there is only one mountain made of these rejects. Investigating this mountain’s history was akin to unveiling various layers of destruction and oblivion, a means to explore how cities and memories are constructed over time.

Beckton Alps – Archive & Research 2012-2018  gathers part of the materials produced and researched for the film production.

BECKTON ALPS
Video
12:29 min.
2018

The entire project is part of the Trilogy of Mountains, which explores the relationship between landscape and memory. The Trilogy of the Mountains is composed of three parts: Alpenprojekt, based on the alpine relief; the second approach, Beckton Alps, an artificial mountain in East London; and the third part is related to artificial mountains constructed with war debris in Germany.

The research was initiated during an artistic residency at Gasworks (London, UK), granted by Fundação Iberê (Porto Alegre, Brazil) in 2012.