Events

Join us for a full and lively programme of events this summer from Lea boat tours to talks and workshops on environmental and sustainability issues of plastics, and the particular east London history of the material. The Raw Materials: Plastics exhibition is open throughout the summer at the Nunnery Gallery.

For other exhibitions and events taking place at Bow Arts’ Nunnery Gallery see Bow Arts’ What’s On.

17 May - 25 August 2019

Raw Materials: Plastics exhibition

In Hackney Wick, 1865, Victorian inventor Alexander Parkes created Parkesine – a precursor to celluloid – looking to mimic rare and endangered natural materials such as ivory and tortoiseshell. Parkesine led to the development of the Ivoride Works in Homerton in the late 1860s and eventually to the establishment of the industrially successful British Xylonite Company, which included the eponymous Halex brand in Hale End, Walthamstow.

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Key dates

  1. Thursday 18 July, 7-8.30pm

    Perspectives on a better future for plastics

    We will be joined by Professor Mark Miodownik, a materials engineer and Professor of Materials and Society at UCL, who will cover topics including molecular recycling, bio-derived...

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  2. Saturday 27 July, 11am-1.30pm

    MaterialDriven Plastics Recycling Workshop

    This workshop is an introduction into the process of converting household plastic waste, specifically recycled Polypropylene (PP), into a valuable material resource. Designer Tom Meades...

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  3. Thursday 1 August, 6-9pm

    First Thursday Late Opening

    Find out how the very first man-made plastic was invented in Hackney Wick in the 1860s and trace the history of plastics’ development and manufacture...

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  4. Saturday 3 August, 2-3pm

    FORMcard Workshop with Peter Marigold

    Led by FORMcard inventor and Raw Materials resident designer maker Peter Marigold, this hands-on workshop will use FORMcard to mimic natural materials, a sentiment which...

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  5. Sunday 11 August, 12.30-3.30pm

    Gallery Tour & River Lea Boat Cruise

    After a short exhibition tour of Raw Materials: Plastics, we will travel the waterway that inspired Raw Materials – the River Lea – seeing and...

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  6. Saturday 17 August, 12-4pm

    Visit from UCL’s Mobile Heritage Lab & Thames21

    The UCL Mobile Heritage Lab has on-board equipment to analyse plastics for their different material make-up. Different materials indicate different age, so we can tell...

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  7. Sunday 25 August 2019, 3-4pm

    Final Exhibition Tour with Steering Group Member

    Come along for a guided tour of the Raw Materials exhibition, exploring the forgotten industrial history of plastics in east London. Find out how the...

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