HILARY POWELL

Hilary Powell works with hidden histories and overlooked techniques in acts of imaginative salvage -  valuing the seemingly mundane and highlighting and creating the extraordinary in the everyday. Her work is led by materials and places – working in partnership with them with contagious curiosity and experimentation and inviting others into the process – be this collective roller skating in urban precincts (Air/TFL commission) or creating alternative wild operas in industrial hinterlands (during the Acme Stephen Cripps Award at High House Production Park, ROH Purfleet).

Recent projects involve collaborative acts of making -  from a public production line making an erupting pop-up book history of the London Olympic site (collected by V&A and MoMA NY)  to pulling off a Bank Job - setting up a Bank, printing money and literally exploding debt. This led to a book, a feature documentary film nominated for Grierson and BIFA awards and Big Bang 2 - an exploded artwork recently exhibited at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

The work is a constant process of deconstructing grand narratives and finding ways behind the scenes to both reveal and build new stories – during the pandemic this led to examining the realities of manufacturing and container shipping with projects supported by Museum of London and Ffotogallery.

Her belief in the power and necessity of artistic and cultural action to challenge an increasingly unjust system and imagine another way of living has led to long term collaboration with Daniel Edelstyn. They have set up a community interest company Optimistic Foundation dedicated to anarchic, joyful cultural production and are currently building a POWER STATION.

Powell completed a post doctoral AHRC Fellowship in the Creative and Performing Arts at the Bartlett, UCL and was Leverhulme ‘Alchemist in Residence’ with UCL Chemistry. She shares her work widely with academic institutions and arts and community organisations, most recently as visiting tutor in Visual Communication at RCA. She is currently part of the GLA Civic Futures Fellowship.

The gleaning and gathering together continues -  making other worlds possible.

“Hilary was selected for the 2016/17 Stephen Cripps’ Studio Award. The panel selected Hilary were struck by her vision and determination to see the project through. Throughout her time as the award holder, Hilary found endless ways to use the space – as a studio, a meeting place, a rehearsal space, a sound stage, an editing suite, and many more. The time and dedication Hilary brought to her time in the studio was simply extraordinary. I have the very clear impression that Hilary ‘lives’ each project she is involved in, giving all the time and attention possible.” Jack Fortesque. ACME.

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