Past – Forward: The Wapping Project at 20

In the final episode of ‘Past – Forward’, the 21st, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to architect Josh Wright and architecture critic Rowan Moore about the light touch approach to restoring historic industrial buildings, the nodes of contact between architecture, culture and the social fabric of places, as well as the impermanence of everything.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Josh Wright and Rowan Moore
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
with sound and music from The Wapping Project’s archives including an extract from a film ‘A13’, 2004, by Sean Rogg
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to writer Deborah Levy on being commissioned as a young poet, learning to write librettos, and on the simplicity and directness of exchange with Jules Wright, made possible by decades of collaboration between creative minds.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Deborah Levy
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
with music by Billy Cowie from several collaborations with The Wapping Project
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to composer, artist and choreographer Billy Cowie on the early collaborations with Jules Wright and Deborah Levy in the 1990s, risk averse established art institutions very unlike The Wapping Project, and on transitioning seamlessly between worlds created of music, image and text.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Billy Cowie
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Featuring music by Billy Cowie from several collaborations with The Wapping Project
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans is in conversation with photographer Stephen Morgan and artist and designer Sam Spenser on starting out as waiters in the restaurant at The Wapping Project, before being invited to exhibit their work within the Project’s former home the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, and on forming long lasting friendships with Jules Wright.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Stephen Morgan and Sam Spenser
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Including sound recordings from The Wapping Project’s archives
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to a quartet of Omani artists – Rawan AlMahrouqi, Safa Baluchi, Ruqaiya Mazar, Riham Noor Al Zadjali – on their experience making work in response to scores, collaborating with Elina Brotherus during a residency programme in Oman in 2019, and finding their voices as young women artists working with performance and political art.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Rawan AlMahrouqi, Safa Baluchi, Ruqaiya Mazar, Riham Noor Al Zadjali
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Including soundtracks from the works produced as part of the residency programme, some of which were exhibited during the 'Resonance' exhibition at Stal Gallery in March 2020.
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In the first episode of the fourth series of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans is in conversation with artist Karen Stuke and choreographer Maresa von Stockert on working with iconic narratives, in vast industrial spaces, and the many firsts they both embraced on their encounter with Jules Wright who never settled for the easier option.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Karen Stuke and Maresa von Stockert
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal

Including soundtrack from Maresa von Stockert’s ‘Grim(m) Desires’, 2004, and music composition by Billy Cowie for Karen Stuke’s exhibition ‘After Sebald’s Austerlitz’, 2013
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In the first episode of the third series of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans is in conversation with Finnish artist Elina Brotherus on making an ambitious proposal as a very young artist that perhaps wasn’t expected, which led to her monumental video installation ‘Spring’ and to making the shortlist for the then City Bank Prize in 2002, now Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, at The Photographers’ Gallery, and her longstanding creative relationship with The Wapping Project spanning twenty years.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Elina Brotherus
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Including soundtrack from Elina Brotherus’ ‘Spring’, 2001, and materials from The Wapping Project’s archives
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to artist Mairéad McClean about a giant pencil, the wild beauty of the Other Hebrides, lines in the sand erased by North Atlantic waves, and how growing up close to the border on the island of Ireland made her acutely aware of any borders real or imagined.

The podcast features fragments of soundtrack from Mairead McClean’s ‘Making Her Mark’, 2018, and ‘A Line Was Drawn’, 2019, including original music by Laura Cannell.

Hosted by Gareth Evan
Featuring Mairéad McClean
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans is in conversation with writer Kapka Kassabova about story hunting on borders, her personal connection to the shadows of borders that she keeps on returning to in her writing, and borders’ superficial binary simplicity which obscures their dynamic, multi-layered and ambiguous nature.

The podcast features a reading of Kapka Kassabova’s essay ‘To Step Across the Line’ by actor Lia Williams, commissioned and first published by The Wapping Project in 2018.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Kapka Kassabova
Reading by actor Lia Williams
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to writer and book designer Imogen Eveson about creating the book The Wapping Project on Paper, in 2013, and art director Sonya Dyakova of Atelier Dyakova who was involved in the creation of the original identity for The Wapping Project in 2000 while working as an intern for Vince Frost at Frost Design, her very first job in London, and was commissioned to design The Wapping Project’s current identity in 2016 to reflect the new chapter in the life of the organisation.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Imogen Eveson and Sonya Dyakova
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to writers Lydia Fulton and Ben Eastham who ran The Wapping Project’s bookshop, set in a glasshouse within the gardens of the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, where one could encounter Deborah Levy, Andrew Motion, Ben Okri, Helen Oyeyemi, and many other writers and poets reading by a woodburning stove to an audience of twelve sitting on the glasshouse’s floor.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Lydia Fulton and Ben Eastham
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In the first episode of the second series of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans is in conversation with the former head chefs at Wapping Food – James Robson and Cameron Emirali – on ambition, the ways to turn a small kitchen set in a huge industrial space into a destination restaurant, and on cooking for a table of 100 guests an Eating Together sharing menu.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring James Robson and Cameron Emirali
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Including recordings from The Wapping Project’s archives
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to sculptor Richard Wilson about his commission ‘Butterfly’ (2003), taking inspiration from a fiver washed in a jeans’ pocket, the ways to escape one’s artistic signature, and trying to do what one doesn’t know how to.

Hosted by Gareth Evan
Featuring Richard Wilson
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Including recordings from The Wapping Project’s archives
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans in in conversation with writer, curator and activist So Mayer on the process of responding to large scale work produced by female makers, the importance of making digital archives available and accessible, and on curating as an ethical practice.

The podcast features a reading of So Mayer’s poem ‘Line of Visible Light’ by actor Robert Whitelock, first published by The Wapping Project in 2016.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring So Mayer
Reading by actor Robert Whitelock
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
With recordings from The Wapping Project’s archives, including  ‘Answers from the Ocean’, 1995, choreographed by Shobana Jeyasingh and performed by students from Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets, London
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to artist filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and editor and cinematographer Taina Galis about the feature documentary ‘Erase and Forget’, which premiered at Berlinale in 2017 – the result of a decade spend working with Lt. Col. James Gordon ‘Bo’ Gritz – on building trust, questioning and resisting mainstream narratives, and the ways to get to the heart of the shattering consequences of perpetrating extreme, state-sponsored violence.

The podcast features fragments of soundtrack from the film ‘Erase and Forget’, 2017, including the voice of Bo Gritz.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Andrea Luka Zimmerman and Taina Galis
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to artist Shona Illingworth and barrister Nick Grief about their collaborative project the Airspace Tribunal and Shona Illingworth’s ‘Topologies of Air’, their relationship to airspace and outer space, human rights and the ambition to propose a new one, and boring planning meetings in academia that may lead to unexpected encounters and pursuits.

The podcast features fragments of soundtrack from the installation ‘Topologies of Air’ by Shona Illingworth, including voices recorded during the Airspace Tribunal hearings in London and Sydney, as well as during the Sky Forums in Bahrain and Sharjah.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Shona Illingworth and Nick Grief
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In the very first episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans is in conversation with artist Jane Prophet whose installation 'Conductor' marked the launch of The Wapping Project in October 2000. The conversation is framed by music from the album 'The Earth with her Crowns' by composer and performer Laura Cannell, the last artist invited to work in the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Jane Prophet
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Including recordings from The Wapping Project's archives
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to 'Shiny Nylon'

In the second episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to choreographers Lea Anderson and Luca Silvestrini about pushing boundaries, dancing in a derelict, filthy building, hot soup, and producing a piece in a restaurant in front of surprised diners. The programme features a reading of Lea Anderson’s ‘Edges, Frames and Edits’ by actor Patrick O’Brien, first published by The Wapping Project in 2018.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Lea Anderson and Luca Silvestrini
Reading by actor Patrick O’Brien
Sound edit and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Including recordings from form The Wapping Project's archives, and music by Steve Blake and Will Saunders from Lea Anderson’s ‘Edits’
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to writers and translators Jen Calleja and Sophie Hughes about their commissions for The Wapping Project, the difficulties of carrying evocations of place across languages, and whether what is lost in translation should be mourned.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Jen Calleja and Sophie Hughes
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, curator and writer Gareth Evans talks to Chilean writer and the 2019 International Booker Prize nominee Alia Trabucco Zerán about the surprising power of words, read or heard, to create a physical reaction in the body, the impact of growing up with the spectre of violence during the Pinochet dictatorship, and her most successful unsuccessful application. The podcast features Alia’s short story ‘The Last Word’ translated by Sophie Hughes and read by actress Polly Kemp, first published by The Wapping Project in 2019

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Alia Trabucco Zerán
Reading by actress Polly Kemp
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

In this episode of ‘Past – Forward’, the current directors of The Wapping Project – Marta Michalowska and Thomas Zanon-Larcher are in conversation with curator and writer Gareth Evans. Looking back to their first meetings with the late Jules Wright, who founded The Wapping Project, and the profound impact those encounters had, they discuss transitioning from site-specific to nomadic, including their most recent commissions and collaborations.

Hosted by Gareth Evans
Featuring Marta Michalowska and Thomas Zanon-Larcher
Sound editing and design by Philippe Frau-Nadal
With recordings from  The Wapping Project’s archives including work by composers Ilona Sekacz and Billy Cowie
Podcast intro theme by Billy Cowie from the soundtrack to ‘Shiny Nylon’

Welcome to Past – Forward: The Wapping Project at 20, a new podcast series commissioned to mark twenty years of The Wapping Project.

The first season of five episodes will be available later this Autumn, and it will include conversations hosted by Gareth Evans with artist Jane Prophet, choreographers Lea Anderson and Luca Silvestrini, writers and translators Sophie Hughes and Jen Calleja, writer Alia Trabucco Zeran, and The Wapping Project's co-directors Marta Michalowska & Thomas Zanon-Larcher. 

Hosted by Gareth Evans

Edited by Philippe Frau-Nadal

Featuring archive recordings from The Wapping Project, including soundtrack from Shiny Nylon by Billy Cowie

Commissioned & produced by The Wapping Project