Light festival at Battersea Power Station.

Battersea Power station is one of those buildings that has always stood out on the skyline and became a London icon. It was built in 1929 and supplied one fifth of London's electricity. The Power Station was decommissioned in 1983 and sat derelict for years. Plans for different projects followed but for a number of reasons never materialised and in 1991 the building was added to the Heritage at Risk Register. It wasn't until 2012 that the building was bought by a property development and investment business from Malaysia. Overseen by Historic England, work began in 2014 to dismantle and carefully rebuild the chimneys to the precise specification of the originals. The programme used the original architects' plans to ensure the reconstructed chimneys were identical to their predecessors. One of the original methods used required over 25,000 wheelbarrows of concrete to be poured by hand into shuttered layers which were allowed to set one by one. When complete 25,000 people will live and work here creating one of London's largest office, retail and leisure developments. A new underground station opened here in September 2021 on an extension of the Northern Line making the area even more accessible.This week I went to have a look at a light festival taking place around the Power Station.

 

 I will be back to have a look inside the Power Station when the next phase is opened which should be happening sometime this year.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday 

Peru: a journey in time.

 In early December I went to an exhibition at the British Museum called: Peru: a journey in time. Through pottery, ceramics and textiles it showed the development of ancient civilisations from Central Andean cultures. Without the written word these items tell us much about the customs and rituals of those times. I visited Peru in 2009, so I was particularly interested in seeing this fascinating insight into civilisations I had no idea existed. I have tried to include descriptions and related information from the Museum display.

This timeline gives you some idea of the periods in history to which these items refer.

Funerary mask. Copper and shell, Moche, AD 100-800

Musician playing a flute: Painted pottery, Moche, AD 100-800

Tasselled band with feather motifs: Cotton with llama/alpaca wool, Chimu AD900-1470

Llama container, painted pottery, Mocha AD100-800

Yucca vessel, moulded and painted pottery. Moche, AD100-800

Bottle in the shape of a mythological mountain scene. Painted pottery, Moche AD 400-700

Stepped triangle vessel. This represents the mountains whilst the crest at the top symbolises water flowing through the river valleys to the sea. Moche, AD 100-800

Deer vessel, painted pottery, Moche, AD 100-800

Human deer vessel. Painted pottery, Moche AD 100-800

Maize was first grown in the Andes around 6000 years ago and has been part of people's basic diet ever since. Maize plant vessel, painted pottery, Nasca 100 BC-AD 650

Deity holding maize, painted pottery, Mocha AD 100-800

Feline. moulded, painted pottery, Moche, 200 BC-AD 500

Snake, moulded, painted pottery, Moche, 200 BC-AD 500

Bird, moulded, painted pottery, Moche 200 BC - AD 500

Ear plates with feline features. Gold alloy, semi precious stones, shell and mother of pearl. 800-550 BC

Headdress with mythical feline heads. Gold alloy, 800-550 BC 

Bird shaped whistle, painted pottery, Nasca, 100 BC - AD 650 

Man and woman having sex. Painted pottery, Nasca 100 BC - AD 650

Women wearing cape with intricate design. Painted pottery, Nasca 100 BC- AD 650

Shell with a woman's face, Nasca 100 BC - AD 650

Nasca vessel showing eight women seated around three vessels.

Ceremonial drum painted with mythical scenes.

Bowl with painted severed heads. Pottery, Nasca 100BC - AD 650

Severed human head vessel.

Figure holding a severed head.

Vessel depicting a figure holding a lime container and dipper. Moche AD 200-600

Vessel depicting a figure holding a lime container. Moche AD 200-600

Lime container and dipper. Gourd, leather and wood. Central coast 1400-1532.

Vessel with modelled representations of shells Pottery, Inca 1400-1532.

Ear plug showing a mythical figure. Wood and mother of pearl and shell, 1300-50

Prisoner in front of a ruler  and vessel in the shape of a prisoner.

Sleeping Moche warrior with nose ring, patterned helmet, uniform and large circular ear plates.

In 1821 Peru gained independence from Spain. Today the country reflects a combination of cultures, religions and transformations. Despite centuries of colonial repression and Western influence, many Central Andean beliefs and practices live on. I hope you enjoyed seeing this exhibition through my eyes.