“… a powerful poetic reflection on the psychological role of our surroundings and our symbiotic relationship with nature …” (Sheffield DocFest jury statement)
Weaving a multitude of voices, both human and non-human, this sensorial gem explores the environs of the soon-to-be demolished Fawley Power Station.
With its giant 200 metre chimney, Fawley power station was a huge Brutalist structure built on the edge of the New Forest between 1964 and 1971. The first of its kind – oil fuelled and computer-controlled – it became a strange, brooding but often admired presence within an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Mixing archive and present-day footage, the film explores the power station’s history and demolition through playful but profound discussion of themes of ‘power’, ‘nature’ and ‘time’. Set against the backdrop of an everchanging environment, it addresses the deep psychological role architecture plays in our surroundings and asks, “What is lost when a building disappears?” Or simply, “Does a building have a spirit?”
Fawley won Best International Short Film at Sheffield Doc-Fest in 2022. It was co-produced by Urban Wilderness and funded by Keele University’s AHRC project Decommissioning the 20th Century.