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: Friday 15.02.08
Time: 09.45-17.00
Weather: Sunny
Methodology:
Observations and sorted and laid out selected rubbish (from viewing platform area).  Review of methodology.  Extracted soil samples from selected rubbish samples taken from the summit.
Rubbish inventory from summit:
2 x glass lambrini bottles
6 x completed assorted beer bottles
2 x broken beer bottles
2 x alcopops
1 x half bottle of vodka
6 x assorted plastic cider bottles
23 x fizzy plastic drinks bottles
9 x energy drink bottles
14 x water bottles
9 x fruit juice bottles
6 x milk and yoghurt drinks
4 x assorted converted bottles (drug paraphernalia)
41 x assorted cups
Tools used:
1 x broom
Samples to laboratory: 
none taken
Human occupation off alp site:
none noted
Human occupation on alp site:
14.00 two boys in school uniform walk from summit down path towards the east, stop and look in bushes.
14.20 solitary young man with camera and large bag at summit, looks out over towards east ham, takes photographs and leaves at 14.30
14.55 two teenage asian boys, both in uniform but obscured by coats head down the path from north to east, chatting. 
15.00 solitary man, mid-twenties, doing stretching on the summit.  Runs down towards derelict viewing platform to exit at 3.15
Non human occupation on site: 
none noted
Ambient sounds: 
same as those recorded before
Ambient smells: 
13.00 sewage and bonfire from industrial estate.
Remarks:
tin cans from previous day's layout have been disturbed.
Occupation images:
Inventory images:

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