Artwalk – “Reading the Dividing Lines in the City: Lincoln’s Inn Fields”
Part of Catherine’s art practice is in inviting participants to join her for group walks.
This Artwalk first took place on June 22nd, 2019, as part of the “London Festival of Architecture” which occurred throughout June, 2019.
Around 15 participants took place during this event, which entailed an hour-long walk around the perimeter of Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
DESCRIPTION
“During this guided Artwalk, we visited the nearby Lincoln’s Inn Fields to confront its dark social history. Accounts from the lives of local residents revealed a set of power relations that carry on still today. We visited the site of the Insolvent Debtor’s Court, to hear of some of its famous cases and to reflect upon the history of being in debt. We visited the house, now museum, of the famous architect John Soane, which was designed to showcase his immense personal collection. We investigated these institutions – the House / Museum and the Courthouse / Debtor’s Court – and Lincoln’s Inn Fields’ public spaces, to understand how embedded social inequity is in London, and how “normalised” this has become, in contemporary interpretations of urban life.”
2020 ARTWALK EVENTS
Artwalk – “Power struggles in London: Lincoln’s Inn Fields”
Presented for the “Festival of Alternative Art Education”, March 21, 2020.
Artwalk – “Power struggles in London: Lincoln’s Inn Fields”
Presented at the “London Festival of Architecture” in June 2020.
Catherine contributed to the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) in 2019, with her guided Artwalk, which took place on June 22, 2019.
With each walk, she led 15 participants around the perimeter of Lind.
“The population living and working in this part of London has always been diverse, and the contrast between the conspicuous wealthy and the poverty stricken has led to dramatic episodes during its long history.”
The group visited the site of the Insolvent Debtor’s Court, designed by the architect John Soane. They heard stories of the Court’s famous cases and considered the harsh injustice visited upon those in debt, including the writer Charles Dickens’ father. They also visited the exterior of the house, now museum, of John Soane, which he designed to showcase his large personal collection.
Accounts of people’s lives, and the parallel events taking place in two buildings – the Soane House / Museum and the Insolvent Debtor’s Court – offered insights into Lincolns Inn Fields, both today and its past, and its dual connections with affluence and indebtedness.
The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) ran from 1-30 June 2019; its theme was ‘Boundaries’.