Central Saint Martins graduate James Parkes has proposed creating a tower in Brixton where disadvantaged women who are "burdened by the effects of capitalism" can create art after being released from prison.
Called Vertical Loom: Re-appropriating Capitalism, the project envisions a high-rise with numerous workshops and exhibition spaces where former inmates can engage in art therapy.
The project envisions a high-rise with numerous workshops and exhibition spaces
Parkes designed the tower after discovering that since 1995 two and a half times more women were incarcerated in prison. He also found that half of these women had mental health issues and a large number had attempted suicide.
"Instating forms of rehabilitation through methods of teaching, learning and art practice allows for women disadvantaged by the system post-prison can transition easier into the modern world, with valuable skills, education and aspiration," said Parkes. "Conceptually, the project focuses on the idea of re-appropriation and subjects the skyscraper as a typology, to its early 1900s symbolism of representing hope and change," he told Dezeen.
Banners, tapestries and prints could be displayed on the building's facade
He envisions the building being run in collaboration with Women in Prison, a Brixton based charity that offers support for women affected by the criminal justice system.
It would house spaces for the production of banners, tapestries and prints that could...