The Tent That Can Hear

Jane Trowell
James Marriott
Hajra Gulamrassul
Will Essilfie
Herbert Girardet
John Jordan

During Soundcamp 2019, Platform's James Marriott and Jane Trowell will be in residence at the iconic tent from Platform's 1989 project 'Tree of Life, City of Life'. This project involved two artists - John Jordan and James Marriott - living in the specially designed tent, in 5 resonant sites across the south banks of the Thames, between the river Wandle at Wandsworth Town, and Greenland Dock. The artists had an ecological intention: to listen to the metabolism of the city, a city which is born, breathes, ingests, excretes, dies and is reborn. 30 years on, they will be reflecting on what that project found, and what it means for now and 30 years in the future.

To help them, on Saturday between 2 and 4pm, they will be joined in conversation by cultural ecologist Herbert Girardet, whose ideas informed the original project; John Jordan, skyping in from La ZAD in Brittany; Hajra Gulamrassul, art historian and Platform thinking partner; and educator and researcher, Will Essilfie. Hajra and Will have been working in the Platform project archive at the Bishopsgate Institute, London. They will bring rare materials from Tree of Life, City of Life to spark key questions for the conversation.

Image: The tent at Wandsworth, from 'Tree of Life, City of Life', Platform, 1989.
Photo: Jens Storch

Supported by Arts Council England, Southwark Neighbourhoods Fund, North Southwark Environment Trust, TCV and individual contributors