In the 15th and 16th centuries significant effort was made to reclaim or ‘inn’ the marshes on the edges of the river Thames. Banks of earth or ‘walls’ were constructed and the land behind was drained by ditches. Here the Deptford Dockyard was built, sedimenting not only swampy perimeters, but the groundwork for colonial ‘adventures’ and the plantation system. Today the Dockyard is becoming a luxury development threatening to displace local human and non-human ecologies. This walk considers how contemporary urban struggle can be staged conjuncturally, reading its historical foundations of the present in both environmental and social terms. It is drawn from Visual Cultures’ multi-year research project The Dockyard Dispositive, which works with scholars and local communities of resistance.
Dr Janna Graham (Senior Lecturer, Visual Cultures) examines the aural, visual and micropolitical dimensions of urban dispossession and resistance, and studies how legacies of colonial administration underpin neoliberal subjectivities, institutions and modes of publicity. Originally trained as a geographer, Graham’s work is informed by spatial theory, institutional analysis, sound investigation, curatorial practice, cultural studies and feminism.This tour involves walking a loop and moving for about 1.5 hours with around 7 stops. The tour will end on Deptford High Street, near the train station. If this is too onerous, a web version can be offered on request. Email j.graham@gold.ac.uk
This event is part of Art History Festival 2025 organised by the Association for Art History.
