Brimstone to Carpenters Banner.

Why is this Banner called ‘Brimstone to Carpenters’?

The aptly named Brimstone House is supposed to provide emergency temporary accommodation for people including parents and children, but many people have been stuck there for years . The residents entire home consists of one room, with no privacy, the cell like flats are poorly maintained with damp and mould, this is no place for anyone to live and grow, especially not mothers and children.

This banner was made in response to a protest organised by the Focus E15 Housing Campaign and the Brimstone house residents. Close by the cramped, over crowded Brimstone House, on the Carpenters Estate there are 410 empty flats which the council has kept empty for over 14 years.

To highlight this injustice and the dubious reasons why this has happened (which are inevitably related to the selling off public assets to the private sector for the benefit of the financially rich only). The courageous Brimstone house residents and focus E15 members constructed large arrows saying ‘EMPTY HOMES’ which were made on the street and paraded from Brimstone House to the empty blocks of flats on the Carpenters Estate, directing those desperately in need of a decent home to the empty homes nearby, which logically they are entitled to (one of these blocks is shown in the centre of the banner).  

The banner was started on the Focus E15 street which takes place every Saturday in order to meet people and organise the struggle for housing justice.  The banner was contributed to by people concerned and fighting for housing in Brimstone House, who added the statements in the speech bubbles. The actual material is a duvet cover which is like a curtain, this represents home. The drawing and painting of the banner was interwoven with the patterns.  In the painting I wanted to show the power of people together as though they were part of the material and blossoming block of homes they need to have.