“Laid to Rest” will transform dust collected from houses, businesses and institutions into a time capsule of 500 commemorative bricks. Inspired by the commercialization of waste in Victorian London from the dust heaps of Gray’s Inn Rd to the engineering achievements of Joseph Bazalgette’s sewage system. The dust heap was a monument to the invisible and provided a major source of income. One of the industries to be born out of the heaps was London brick making: ash, cinders and rubbish from the heaps were mixed with the mud of nearby brick fields to produce the humble brick.
Each brick made as part of “Laid to Rest” will contain the specific dust of its contributor and will be imprinted with information cataloguing its transformation from the barely visible to the palpable. A growing stack of bricks will be exhibited as part of “Dirt” at the Wellcome Collection 24th March – 31st August 2011. The project will culminate in a horse drawn procession and burial of the bricks.
