GASOMETERS 3

by Nicky HAMLYN
2015 / 16mm / color-b&w / silent / 1S / 13' 00

This is the second (No.1 no longer exists) of three films about Gas Holders, or "Gasometers" as they are known in England. They are located in a large industrial area of North London. Before natural gas was discovered in the North Sea in the 1960s, it was made from coal. Every town had a gas works, where gas was processed from the coal, and every gas works included a large storage device, a telescopic metal drum, often contained within an iron framework. Most of these were constructed between 1860 and 1890. The Gas Holders in this film have now been removed and part of the removal process is documented in the film. However, my primary interest with the film is in terms of the way the Holders filter, reflect, refract and break up the light that falls on them. The latticework columns and circular girders generate complex patterns of overlapping shadow movements and shifts of light. These are compounded because Gas Holders often come in pairs, so that there is additional interplay between the two, which cast shadows on each other over the course of a day. I am also interested in what they are as objects.

2 PRINTS IN DISTRIBUTION


distribution format 16mm
screen 1,37 - Standard (single screen)
speed 24 fps
sound silent
rental fee 57,00 €

distribution format Digital file on server (FHD)
screen 1,37 - Standard (single screen)
speed 24 fps
sound silent
rental fee 57,00 €