Events
FINAL WEEKS: the Raw Materials: Plastics exhibition is open until Sunday 25 August at the Nunnery Gallery – join us for a special event on Saturday 17 August with UCL & Thames21 …
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.
Key dates
-
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...
View details
-
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...
View details