DRONE PLANES OVER WESTFIELD

East London 2012

‘Drone Planes Over Westfield’, responds to the paranoia that surrounded the London Olympics, as anti-aircraft missiles were stationed on the top of East London tower blocks.

Afganistan 2012 :: was a changing point in the war in Afganistan. Actual military resources were being withdrawn from the field whilst at the same time, there was a massive escalation in the use of unmanned drone planes. US military figures have shown that 2012 saw 447 drone strikes in Afghanistan, the largest use of drones in warfare before or after.

London 2012 :: The city was gripped by an eerie paranoia. Missile batteries were installed on the top of East London tower blocks such as Fred Wigg Tower, Leytonstone or the Lexington Building apartment complex, Bow, which was part of the former Bryant & May match factory famous for the match girls strike, later regenerated to create the Bow Quarter. The weapons were reported to be capable of shooting down aircraft and, according to the MoD, capable of countering “pop-up strikes” by helicopters. East London residents contemplated the possibility of the military shooting down aircraft in the airspace above their homes. The residents of Fred Wigg Tower had taken legal action to stop the security measure, saying it would make them a potential terrorist target. The High Court ruled in favour of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), agreeing that a tower block was a suitable site for the missiles.