Barry Flanagan. the works

Barry Flanagan. the works was a unique reenactment by Assemble of Barry Flanagan’s lost 1969 film ‘the works’ which took place during London Frieze week. The durational performance lasted around three hours and reinterpreted Flanagan’s exploration of materials, labour, and transformation.

The original film of ‘the works’ – made by artist Barry Flanagan (1941 - 2009) – features someone named Collin lifting half a ton of sand in hessian sacks up a flight of stairs.

He empties the sand into one of Flanagan’s “casb” (canvas sandbag) sculptures, then goes downstairs and drills a hole in the ceiling. Sand begins to pour through the building, forming a sculptural mound on the floor. The film had been lost for decades until it was rediscovered in 2023.

Assemble worked in collaboration with The Estate of Barry Flanagan to reenact the piece. Elements from the original film were reinterpreted—similar hessian sacks and a large canvas bag were made for the occasion.

Collin was replaced by three performers, in keeping with Assemble’s collective methodology. Performers took it in turns to carry the 20kg bags upstairs, helping each other to empty sand into the sculptural canvas bag.

Barry Flanagan. the works was a collaboration between Assemble, The Estate of Barry Flanagan, and Plinth, and took place in House of Annetta - a community centre in Spitalfields focussed on land justice and housing rights.

The grade 2 listed building was formerly the home of Annetta Pedretti where she used the space for her experimental way of learning and organising community resistance. After her death in 2018, Annetta’s house was gifted by her family to Stiftung Edith Maryon, who appointed Assemble to develop a future for the semi-derelict building.