Built on a scrap of land just north of what will soon be Dalston Junction station, the 16 metre-high mill is a fantastic, Heath Robinson-style bit of impolite and haphazard design, thrown up amidst the cranes of the nearby luxury flat development like an insouciant ‘fuck you’ to modern mixed-use housing. It towers over a “rural retreat’ (what, in a less pretentious time, would have been called an allotment), which is largely dominated by a recreation of Agnes Denes’ 1982 piece of installation art Wheatfield: A Confrontation, originally staged in Manhattan and reproduced here in smaller scale. Beyond the art, the Mill will host a number of events, including theatre (the Arcola have a show, Kontakt, running this week), tea-time talks, and more: see the full list here.
We’re informed that the Mill is not only fully functioning — it’ll be used to power two ovens which will produce ‘bread currency’ that can be spent in local cafes and cinemas — but it also powers the DJ’s turntable. Dancers best hope that a sudden calm spell doesn’t spoil their grinding away to the grooves of Lady Gaga.
The Dalston Mill‘s opening party is tonight, and it is open to the public from today until August 6th. Opening times are 2-10pm daily, bar open from 7-10pm Thu-Sun. Entrance just off Dalston Lane, by the peace mural (
