Claire Powell
MA work
MA work
The Bishops Avenue
Located in North London and referred to as Billionaire's Row - the Bishops Avenue was once ranked as the second most expensive street in Britain. Hidden amongst the extravagant wealth on this street is a ghost town. There are 66 dwellings on Bishops Avenue; 16 of them are completely abandoned and have been for more than 30 years.
The gardens are overgrown, the windows are broken and the ceilings are caving in. An investigation by the Guardian estimated the total amount of abandoned real estate on the Bishops Avenue combined to £350,000,000 - equal to 120 empty bedrooms. These numbers are staggering in regards to the current housing crisis in London. Many of the derelict properties are owned by foreigners who chose not to live there. A tranche of houses were built for the Saudi Royal Family but no one ever moved in. This project sought to bring light to this wanton abandonment - the haunted undertones inspired by the innate presence of these houses to those who pass by.Â
Info
Info
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MA Degree
School
School of Arts & Humanities
Programme
MA Photography, 2019
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Contact
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+44 (0)7864 009824
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Claire's work at the RCA has been an effort to re-assign lost narratives to ruined and abandoned spaces. A ruin has lost its narrative, but it has gained a new one in its slow and progressive strife with the tenacity of time alone. Ruins are fleeting. They are ephemeral and in constant flux. They are often evidence of failures, loss or atrocity. It is important to remember where we have come from and visual evidence of demise is often most compelling in terms of inspiring any change or reflection.
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Degrees
- B.Sc Photography, Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA, 2017
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Exhibitions
- 'Red Eye', Art Serve, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 2016; 'Abandoned Places: Empty Spaces', Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, 2019
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Awards
- Selected, Eddie Adams Workshop XXIX, 2017