You’ve got to look beneath the cladding.

There’s cladding everywhere. Political cladding,

Economic cladding, intellectual cladding — things that look good

But have no centre, have no heart, only moral padding.

 From “Grenfell” Ben Okri 2017

I am a textile artist whose work focuses on social and political topics. This hand woven textile sculpture represents the discovery that I had, during the 1990s, been living in what is now recognised as  a very unsafe building. The Ledbury Estate in Southwark includes three high rise tower blocks constructed with the large panel system made of cast concrete built in the late 1960’s, I was living in Peterchurch Tower. These blocks are structurally unsound with large cracks running through the buildings causing damp but also a massive fire hazard. 

During construction only twenty percent of the required bolts were put into place between the panels due to financial pressures, serious disregard for the quality of the build. This is represented by the removal of 80% of warp threads between the three woollen panels. The woollen double cloth panels are a symbol of timelessness and comfort when in actual fact they provide none of this traditional security. Double cloth is a weaving technique traditionally used for warm heavy weight woollen blankets.

One cannot have a conversation about tower block failure without looking at the tragedy that is Grenfell Tower. The outer layer of the sculpture is  woven to create a beautiful unprotective layer of protection, melting away. There is much said about the external panels on Grenfell being put into place to improve the view for the other residents of Kensington and Chelsea. 

This work should promote further discussion about what is considered suitable housing for the people of this country.

Justice 4 Grenfell https://justice4grenfell.org/ 

Tower Blocks UK https://www.towerblocksuk.com/ 

The Ledbury Action Group https://www.ledburyestate.com