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Northala: Ealing, London 2012

Commissioned by the GLA and produced by ArtsAgenda. Red Earth built a series of temporary greenwood towers on the hills of Northala Fields, brought to life in an atmospheric event marking the arrival of the Paralympic Flame in Ealing.

Although recently constructed from the debris of the old Wembley stadium, Northala Fields evokes a landscape of prehistoric earthworks. NORTHALA responded to this connection between contemporary and ancient, bridging the passage of time between prehistory and the industrial present.

SCULPTURE INSTALLATION

Made of coppiced wood from nearby Horsenden Hill, the towers were inspired by world architecture, by the skyline of mosques, temples and towers visible from the hills, and the minarets of Ghazni and Jam in Afghanistan. They represented a gathering of cultures and marked our connection with the four corners of the earth.

PERFORMANCE

The hills of Northala Fields are transformed by sound and fire into a ritual landscape, marking the journey of the Paralympic Flame upwards towards the heavens. NORTHALA evoked the past and celebrated the future, as Northala Fields became, briefly, the centre of the world.

THANKS TO Chris Bunting, Ian Ross, Ealing Council Catherine Wells, Rachael Moore, The Event Umbrella Northolt and Greenford Countryside Park Society Northala Fields Steering Board Tim Crane, Fiorella Williams, Ealing Rangers Service Julie's Bicycle and Attitude is Everything Gone Fishing and the San Remo Café Toni Whitening, St John Ambulance SFM Security; H2 Productions Bill Gee, Susanna Roland; Darrell Bawn, Shazad Ali, TfL Chenine Bhathena, Sarah Barrow and the GLA team London 2012 Festival and London Paralympic Torch Relay team.