Even somewhere as inauspicious as the Beckton Alp, a toxic 19th century spoil heap, is redolent with value for the people who use it.

Despite the only way in being a hole illegally made in the fence, the alp is a vibrant social space used by a diverse range of people for the kinds of adventure we just don’t have anymore.

During three months residency in a portacabin at the base of the alp we observed and documented use and evidence of use, both human and otherwise.

In 50 days of actual presence on site, over 300 people were observed.







The paradox of this “bad” landscape as also a place of the sublime and of adventure was tested during the residency by hosting social encounters. One of these encounters was an invitation to lunch below the summit extended to the scaffolders from the yard at the base of the alp. Both tested scenarios and observed use formed a brief to return the alp as a fully accessible, social, bioremediated landscape, but one that retains the intrinsic qualities that make it so beguiling.

The concept for bioremediation is to treat the surface rainwater as both a source of pleasure and potential poison and by making visible a treatment system so reference the hidden marsh landscape now sealed away beneath the surface. 

The design will separate the surface water from the leachate, rills and pools with reed beds as green sponges will cleanse the less toxic surface run off, and will keep it as far as possible from penetrating the reinstated clay capping.  

That water which does penetrate the cap will percolate through the toxins and as leachate will be collected at the base in an enclosed chamber, the “bad” water will be pumped up using renewable energy to be let down again through an enclosed serial system to filter out the toxins.   

The proposal is for a hybrid landscape of remediation and the sublime, for adventure and for the knowledge of risk.  The form this landscape may take is evidenced through the natural and cultural history collection of the alp. This collection is based the Enlightenment tradition of knowledge through observation and comprises of artifacts and “specimens” entirely constructed from material found on site. The Collection is cultural evidence of the value of the intrinsic paradox of the alp.

The collection was made in collaboration with local individuals and organizations, the Beckon adult education art class made landscape paintings, the director of the local undertakers narrated a roll call of loss, the Over 50s book club donated memories and a botanical illustrator made drawings of constructed species.


Date: Saturday 26.04.08
Time: 12.30-16.00
Weather: very sunny
Methodology: 
cooked sausages on fire fuelled by alp waste.
general observations, supplied J____ and  T___ T___ with imitation guns for play.
Tools used:
none recorded
Samples to laboratory: 
none recorded
Human occupation off alp site:
none recorded
Human occupation on alp site:
14.20 two boys making den south of the amphitheatre, drag planks and construct.
14.25 a group of 3/4 teenage boys (12/13) gather on viewing platform, two have bicycles
14.40 two women in religious dress and two men stand at summit and observe view towards the south west
14.40 an early 30's male ascends summit, form the viewing platform pushing a bicycle, descends ten minutes after.
15.00 two women, early 30's look out from summit towards the south west
15.20 two boys, 13/14 ascend from viewing platform with bikes to summit and ride up and down the south face.
15.30 two asian women, one male, two young boys and a baby enter site through the gap in the fence to the west and ascend to the summit, where they sit and remain for about an hour.  boys explore site, down by viewing platform.
Non human occupation on site: 
magpies
birds on cross
Ambient sounds: 
ice cream van
play
A13
Ambient smells: 
sausages
sewage
Remarks:
much more activity at the weekend than recorded in the week, groups arriving together and spending extended periods of time either relaxing or exploring.
Occupation images:
Inventory images:
none taken
Samples to laboratory images:
none taken

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