Completed Painting: '[dc]Underfall 01'

 

'[dc]Underfall 01', Acrylics, Paper Collage & Mixed Media on Panel,
300 mm x 300 mm, 2026

Having indulged in a relatively rapid painterly critique of the ongoing Iran war debacle, I felt inclined to do something a little less despairing of human psychosis. Hence, the little painting shown here - entitled ‘[dc]Underfall 01’. It clearly fits into the ‘Deleuzian Cartography’ oeuvre, being heavily map-derived, as well as fluid in its attitude to spatial or temporal structure, There’s even a fairly route-one deteritorialising smear placed front and centre. This time, however, I abandoned reference to specific texts or current events, and just made ‘place’ the overriding theme.

In terms of locational reference, the painting overlays map references to my immediate surroundings in Leicester, and Bristol’s equally familiar (to me) harbour entrance/Cumberland Basin/Underfall Yard/River Avon New Cut complex. This zone has featured regularly here in recent years, due to it being the focus of my ongoing ‘The Basin’ project, and ground-zero for my regular trips to that city. What is new, however, is a reference to that region in an actual painting. To date, all ‘Basin’-related material has been photographic, video-based or literary. Without any conscious plan, I suppose this spontaneous little panel (produced after my most recent Bristol trip, a couple of months back) may therefore suggest some move to unify the ‘Deleuzian Cartography’ and ‘The Basin’ work. Of course, I appreciate that such compartmentalising probably feels more significant to me than anyone else, and this piece certainly emerged with little or no prior strategising, either way. All this stuff is really just arepeated attempt to construct narratives in response to the places I find myself in, whatever medium I employ, or label I apply.

The title here relates to Underfall Yard, specifically - a feature of Bristol’s floating harbour that sits adjacent to Cumberland Basin. If the Harbour entrance and associated locks represent the mouth of the old docks, then the Basin itself might represent a gullet through which the water and shipping must pass in a controlled manner, to reach the city docks beyond. In this analogy, Underfall Yard could be seen as the first stage of digestion, given its primary function as a mechanism for processing at least some of the clogging sediment that has always been the curse of Bristol’s maritime traffic. Initially conceived as an ‘overfall’ feature, by which silt-bearing water might flow over a sluice, its operation was subsequently inverted for greater efficiency. This being Bristol, I.K Brunel generally gets all the credit here, although, the truth is that many other eminent engineers were involved in the developing the Yard’s infrastructure, as is true in many other cases routinely attributed to the man in the big hat. And Underfall itself makes up part of a larger mechanised picture in this part of the Victorian harbour with various complex pumping and hydraulic-control systems being operated from here, and from the Pumphouse, opposite. Nowadays, the Underfall Yard houses various maritime businesses (with associated moorings) alongside a cafe/heritage centre, and forms a larger complex with the adjoining  Harbour Master’s headquarters. It also forms an entry point to the southern dockside walk. 

The name is straightforward enough as a descriptor, but potentially freighted with ambiguity at the same time (I’ll let you decide for yourself what ‘underfall’ might mean when separated from engineering terminology). My own relationship with the site is inevitably layered and romanticised accordingly. Whilst I'm unable to ascribe a precise meaning myself, I know there’s strange poetry there for sure. Superficially, the site represents my habitual first refreshment/reflection stop on any visit to the city. Following a few hours of motorway driving, I will normally head straight to Cumberland Basin, park-up and stroll through to Underfall in search of toilets and the first coffee/lunch of the trip. The canopied outdoor seating area provides a perfect vantage point from which to study the adjacent buildings and boats, or the wider vistas of the Floating Harbour as it curves away into the city centre beyond. My meditations may shift from the industrial heritage of the site itself, to observations of the passing customers, dockland explorers and boat restorers, or my own personal history and ‘temps perdu’ in this part of the city (and back again) all in the duration of one cup of coffee. Such pause for thought will often also pressage the first photo-grabs of the trip, or provoke my first stroll along to the ‘Spike Island art complex, or two-wheeled circuit of the entire harbour.

 

Whilst undeniably picturesque as all this is, this portion of the docks also retains a few vestiges of an older industrial grunge. It remains, at least in part, a working environment - with many of the associated textures, odours and sounds one might expect. On my last visit, I was entertained by the tortuous manoeuvring of a large boat, even as neighbouring diners discussed a complex asylum case they were engaged in. I strolled on a few metres to photograph two skips full to the brim with mud-encrusted bikes, trolleys and other  dredged debris, accompanied by a soundtrack of construction work - relating to the restoration of one of the Victorian buildings that fell victim to an arson attack, some years ago. This particular rebuild is encouraging, even if the charred timbers held their own tradgi-textural resonance for several years. As has often been demonstrated on here, where there’s building work - there’s scaffolding and hi-vis to photograph, whilst thoughts of transformation, becoming, and the future unfolding into history can never be far behind. As ever (and wherever), past, present and future, and the familiar and unknown, all nest within each other.

That’s quite a lot for one little painting to carry, so let’s return to more technical matters. It’s worth mentioning the relatively ‘pretty’ palette of colours - a welcome departure from the dour schemes of the ‘Machine’ pieces, but also possibly reflecting some of the confected architecture of Bristol’s hyper-inflated heritage property market. Photogenic rainbows of terraced villas famously gaze down from various Bristol hill tops - a reminder that even were I to attempt to re-relocate there, the cost would no doubt be prohibitive. Accents of fluro yellow allude to both the aforementioned builders, and to the reflected sails of a nearby yacht-training session, whilst an underpinning ground of black might relate to some of the more industrial aspects mentioned above. Oh, and it’s possible that the encrusted central cancellation suggests some aspiration towards greater painterliness in future works.

'The Basin': Art Trail 4 - Calligraphic Cave Art [Draft 1.0]

 

All Images: Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2023 - April 2024

[Reconfigured Appropriated Texts]:

Our situation today is to break down a door of knowledge hidden behind society, and the accreted scrawling at this site do appear to represent a cursive recuperation and remembrance of this forgetting. The axiom that rock art is notoriously difficult to date serves only to paint a partial picture of the inconsistent and contested chronological records, now that pigments and other materials can often be precisely dated with scientific techniques [e.g. Radiocarbon Dating or Accelerator Mass Spectometry]. What is incontestable is that the stylings identify as ‘Heritage Wild’ - a form of debased mannerism in which hardcore war went down, with markers against markers and letters against letters [pictograms are largely absent here]. Those who paused long enough performed a signature encoding, possibly hiding in a bush before run-ups, and the neural networking that occurs when we find ourselves creating in real time is none other than hyperspace. The inscriptions demonstrate stylistic evolution, from early blocking/balooning strategies to more refined flourishes [often ambiguous in terms of their general form]. They prioritise linear over polychromatic effects, using paints that scar, engine enamel, or - at the very least, matt black, punctuated with accents of white, red and yellow. Spray will go on everything when formulated with egg albumen, urine, blood, saliva or water, and an understanding of nozzle control apparently emerges early, even in primitive cultures.

Entropy prevails and accurate prediction of concrete aging must factor-in an innovative method, leveraging machine learning techniques [employing seven algorithms]. It isn't too long before concrete structures begin to show signs of aging and deterioration. In this sheltered location, the dressing and crisp junctures endure, and reduced ultra-violet levels within the cavern limit the fades. Nevertheless, time is fluid. The flows are inescapable, as is the case throughout. Their flux-value denotes the fraction of variance in the response feature that can be elucidated by the regression model. Chemical agents, such as acids and alkalis can also react. Extensive seepages are clearly defined with their various origin points and courses traceable through routine inspections and thorough documentation of residual beauty [both sub-aquatic and profound]. Note that he choice was made to exclude observations with missing value [editing phase]. The stainings and leachings originate in  elevated run-off, but prefigure a greater liquid deteritorialisation through the rising of the levels [see draft mitigation proposals]. Condemnation awaits in suspension, particularly concerning chloride penetration.

The original system discouraged footfall, raising questions over the site’s actual function. It is not a matter of heritage policies only, but often involves other sectors. Some see it as a sacred location, accessed with deliberation and specifically set aside as the venue for a vast theoretical project developed over a lifetime that was mythos, cosmology and philosophical system all rolled into one. Others assert more direct territorial imperatives [the pissing of the nozzle, ancient hominid flag-planting, etc]. It is also impossible to overlook urban, educational, legislative, criminal, and other policies. These views are far from antithetical and non are precluded  by drifting approaches. When dealing with the data gathering, a special interest should be placed on the content and possible motivation [possibly no more complex than a 2 year-old child that hasn’t learnt to share yet]. Certainly, the location of identity may be a particularly sacred tenet within the cultural branching represented, but over-coding is ceaseless in either event. Maybe ‘they’ should have tried some poems or something. Interestingly, we also see some cancellation attempts, constituting an interim palimpsestic erasure stage in the overall cycle. Light colours such as white or magnolia take at least two coats to cover and some products can be very strong and cause permanent damage. You have to find your way around, and deal with strange plants, predators and prey, but any visitors prepared to linger at the site [particularly those viewing the artwork under the flickering blue light of some magical  emergency] will continue to take pictures, analyse and publicly ridicule.

Written without A.I. [For better or worse]

'The Basin': The Cells [Draft 1.0]

 

All Images: Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023 - April 2024

Spiral ascenders lead to imprisonment [with steel balustrades as seen across the scheme]. We face time within cells of text - entangled within crimes and misdemeanours. The conflicted narratives of our journey are scribbled onto the concrete and degrading polycarbonate of each panelak enclosure within the penal colony. The layered inscriptions are rehearsals for the mechanised operation, but, other than that, there is almost no decoration on the building. Are these the walls of the skull? Our final thoughts rattle around each sounding chamber but are enfolded into the roar of the machines, whose field of validity is situated in a sense between these great functionings and the bodies themselves. What the apparatuses and institutions operate is, in a sense, a micro-physics of power. How long will we remain here, suspended over the dock? Memory waits on remand and encrusts a slate that is never wiped. The evidence accumulates [does the case even progress?] and over-coding is a process without end. We have [with difficulty] gained some clues via calligraphic apertures and interstitial transparencies. Paradoxically, their overlapping left penal justice with innumerable loopholes, and so - the eventual verdict can only be imagined.

Further investigation reveals these to be open cells [unsealed all along]. Indeed, a significant aperture remains open to the pursuing elements, placing us close to ceaseless commerce. Is then the incarceration voluntary? If indeed monastic in nature [and thus scriptural], the prison functions in this as an apparatus of knowledge. Whatever the truth - we may pass through at any point, and define new tactics in order to reach a target that is now more subtle. Many such trajectories have been attempted, although, to date, each has merely led to another cell teetering above its coiled stairway [with steel balustrades as seen across the scheme]. Whilst alternative ramps of egress do exist, our mapping reveals such routes to be far from straightforward. Repeatedly, they double-back, curl into the labyrinth, or taper away to an impasse. It is the apparatus as a whole that produces ‘power' and distributes individuals in this permanent and continuous field where each attempt to escape is met with derision.

We must analyse rather the 'concrete systems of punishment', study them as social phenomena that cannot be accounted for by the juridical structure of society alone, nor by its fundamental ethical choices. We have formed the belief that the cells represent a duality - offering both welcome refuge [or at least - necessary respite] and the restriction of movement [chosen or otherwise]. The accommodation afforded is certainly squalid, and during crisis-events we have observed waves of fetid water being driven through a particular aperture with frightening force. Furthermore, their elevated position means the cells function as little more than blasting chambers when gales blow in. Nonetheless, at such times we remain content to squat there, pressed into the howling walls. Discipline makes possible the operation of a relational power that sustains itself by its own mechanism. So people actually see them - and they go inside and they look and they see how strong or safe they actually feel inside. To brave the conditions outside could be far more terrifying.

Subsequent observations have suggested one more possibility: namely, that the cells might  serve as checkpoints or way-stations on the journey. By their operation, the crowd [a compact mass, a locus of multiple exchanges, individualities merging together, a collective effect] is abolished and replaced by a collection of separated individualities. Stationed as they are upon ramped dual carriageways, each 7m wide, the cells offer an ideal matrix of strategic points from which to capture flow variations on either plane. The prison became a sort of permanent observatory that made it possible to distribute the varieties of vice or weakness, and we have ourselves exploited their potential as framing devices of a parallel and accelerating reality. Furthermore, it is well known that this entire sector may pivot at any time. In such circumstances, the cells afford a position in which the punishment of crime is not the sole element, and we must situate them in their field of operation. Certainly, we must not to overlook the partition of the fourth cell - with its glimpsed switchgear. Regardless of topographical convulsions, it is certain that the disciplinary space is always basically cellular.

The watchtower supervises from above. By the effect of backlighting, one can observe from the tower, standing out precisely against the light, the small captive shadows in the cells of the periphery. Elevated upon a single stilt, the panoptic mechanism arranges spatial unities that make it possible to see constantly and to recognise immediately. The roof slab is slightly Y-shaped which is reflected in the north and south elevations below, which are slightly canted inwards and have mullions between each vertical glazing bay. Exactly who lurks beyond those obscure windows? The more numerous those anonymous and temporary observers are, the greater the risk for the inmate of being surprised and the greater his anxious awareness of being observed. Access is from below the northern viaducts, where the forbidden gate remains ajar - but we have not yet dared to climb the dogleg stair. An entrance door is located at the head of the staircase on the north side [it is aluminium and glazed with a central horizontal transom]. Were we to gain access there, might we encounter ourselves already gazing down from within?

'The Basin': Innundation [Draft 1.0]

 

All Images: Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2024

The sea has absorbed the city, and the history of the whole world drains into the Basin. An ocean of time is collecting here. It is likely that the highest temperatures occurred in a relatively shallow layer at the surface, and there is uncertainty over what the future will look like. The reclamation of time is jeopardised as grey curtains snap across dull alloy. [Delivery is constrained and regeneration is anticipated to be phased over the long term]. Inherent uncertainty, often known as random or natural variability, can be further categorised into temporal and spatial variability and a number of ‘climate metrics’ aimed at enabling such a comparison have been proposed. Water and stone flow together as the stabilising anchors melt away. N.B: For maps of the environmental designations within and adjacent to the study site refer to the various environmental assessment reports.

Our loaded springs flex against the accelerating gale and the cabin crackles. This vessel is lost at sea, so If you do have a clever climate control system, utilise it. Our cartography was rendered futile as first we pressed our stiffening backs into a corner [displacement waves surging through the elevated cubicle’s aperture] - then ran for more secure refuge. Now we recognise that evidence is not fixed [available information may not be in a format that is directly applicable to a traditional probabilistic analysis]. The equipment became saturated and we are electronically compromised, as our horizons contract to the extent of this small condensing capsule.

The visible city dissolves onto a rainscreen of fluid drape and chased droplets [the water is multidirectional]. The impact on these views, and any others considered relevant, will require assessment as part of any future proposals. A red/amber/green system has been used to mark the placemaking interventions, but colours leach into each other - a dull film of marine oil on a lead-grey membrane. The lead is beaten and deformed. Ghosts of transport shiver around the rim - hurling gutter bilge in the faces of: [a.] flailing athletes; [b.] failing aesthetes; [c.] those with no option [see also the momentary flicker across the reviewing screen]. It is clear that the risk is predominantly governed by the receptor and inclusive public spaces encourage people to go outdoors. The wicking function overloads  and hi-viz washes-out. The embankment liquifies beneath our feet. On the level plane, submerged geometry withdraws into micro-marshland beneath new contours [the map re-drawn in real time]. There seems to be some difference between those areas which had remote control rain gauges fixed in the catchment areas and those which did not. Reflected alerts shiver and fragment, mirrors pit, and the concentrics atomise beneath a million impacts. We witness the disintegration of the inverse world. The decomposition is based on criteria of process rather than necessarily by representing the physical connectivity between sub-systems.

The situation necessitates serious hazard analysis. Integrated consideration of adaptation and mitigation will allow us to identify interdependencies, be more efficient and minimise risk. The options are as follows: [i.] Wait-out the emergency in hope [with gates assumed to be in open position]; [ii.] Cut and run [do-something options avoid the carbon impact of the emergency]. To travel feels perilous, given the prevailing conditions; to risk it after dark - worse still. Comparative qualitative methods [such as the risk matrix] are useful in that they allow different types of hazard to be compared on the same scale, require a relatively  small amount of specialist skill, and allow easy prioritisation of the risks. The sky is locked tight and the city closes in on itself - sullenly resigned. Flooding can lead to poverty in low income households. It can make life more precarious for the vulnerable and elderly and have psychological impacts. New modelling suggests overtopping is likely [Defences do not on the whole overtop as soon as x = 1]. 

Agreement is reached and the decision made: Evacuate the zone whilst the possibility remains; postpone any further conclusions until more data can be safely collected. As this evidence base evolves and we gain new learning, we will use this knowledge to overcome challenges and respond to new opportunities that arise. The retreat is strategic [some may not make it]. Any actions identified are explicitly for managing a repeat event of this nature. Unmoored, we aquaplane north - peering to discern taillights and assess breaking distances through spray plumes and blue flicker. Control systems fail and emergency protocols are implemented along the way [two hours to the boundary].