UCL ISH Photo Competition winners announced

This year, dozens of University College London staff and students entered outstanding photographs on the theme of ‘Transformational Heritage’.

The entries were judged by UCL ISH Director Professor May Cassar, Chief Curator at the V&A Catherine Ince, and last year’s winner Ahmed Kawser.

The winning entries are:

First Place

‘Shithouse to Penthouse – The Gentrification of Hackney Wick’ by Maija Powell, Energy Institute Administrator
Not all transformation is positive. With the redevelopment of Hackney Wick we’ve seen the human geography stamped over to become a bouji-penthouse version of creative warehouse district that was part of the city’s cultural core. Still, the radical spirit is caught in protest graffiti, but for how long will this culture be sustained?

Second place 

‘The Westway Trust’ by Charlie Thorneycroft, Energy Institute MSc student
A stone's throw from Grenfell Tower, the football pitches owned by the Westway Trust demonstrate what can be achieved when this community comes together in the wake of injustice. Founded in 1971 following a four year campaign to reclaim the land under the Westway and prevent the further destruction of homes, the Westway is now home to sports, arts and community spaces.

Third place

‘Kew Glasshouse – Lomopurple’ by Mark Kearney, SEAHA PhD Student
The flow of entropy cannot be stopped, but from within this disorder our heritage develops its unique beauty. Through the transformational power of viewing it though a different lens (or in this case a film stock that alters colours) that innate beauty is discovered.