Ethics of Dust at Westminster Hall

From 29 June to 1 September 2016, Jorge Otero-Pailos’ ‘Ethics of Dust’ is on display at Westminster Hall.

As a conservationist as well as an artist, Jorge’s work was commissioned by Artangel as part of the careful cleaning of this 900 year old UNESCO world heritage site.

The 50 metre long and 6 metre high latex sheets are casts of the hall’s interior east wall and contain countless particles of soot and dirt, gently lifted from the wall; hundreds of years worth of dust that’s witnessed events like the trials of Guy Fawkes in 1606 and King Charles I in 1649.

The title comes from John Ruskin’s 1866 book which argued against cleaning the hall with the blunt tools available at the time, fearing the damage to priceless historic sites like this one.

The installation is free to visit but you have to queue up and take part in the same security screening to enter the Houses of Parliament.

Find out more here.