The River Lea bears the unfortunate distinction of being the most polluted river in the country, a fact underscored by Thames 21, an environmental charity that highlights the severity of the pollution, particularly in Hackney, where oxygen levels have dropped below the threshold required to sustain life. Currently, the river is unsuitable for activities like swimming and fishing, revealing the extensive ecological impact.

However, this environmental degradation isn't a recent development; historical records reveal that the pollution of the Lea gained national attention multiple times in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Motivated by the distress experienced by communities grappling with altered environments, I aim to illuminate the grief resulting from unwelcome disruptions caused by ecological damage. Albrecht's concept of Solastalgia, a form of psychological trauma linked to environmental change wherein individuals experience a deep sense of loss and distress due to transformations in their familiar surroundings, provides a crucial framework for understanding the profound emotional impact on people living amidst such environmental shifts.

In my media project, I leverage the concept of Solastalgia to capture an emotional connection to a place that has undergone alterations or disappeared. Utilising creative writing presented visually as a calligram—an imaginative integration of words forming a visual representation of the Lea River's shape engraved on an acrylic sheet—my work aims to articulate the emotional disturbance and fading sense of presence experienced in areas afflicted by pollution, notably Tottenham and Hackney.