Each year we host placement students from the University of Birmingham here at Grand Union. So far we have welcomed students from the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the school of Political Science and International Studies to conduct research with us. The work we’re doing presents many opportunities for research that relates to communities, land, ecology, pollution, and history. Our placement students have produced valuable contributions that help inform our work both now and in the future.
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Lucy Young (2022)
Lucy is interested in human geography and spent time working on Asad Raza’s project ‘Reabsorption’. As we worked on the site, we discussed the history of the land and what all the objects and pollution we were finding meant and where did they come from? Lucy produced chronological maps of the area surrounding the Digbeth Branch Canal and built a comprehensive list of former businesses that operated out of the area. Suddenly the cow bones we found had a connection to the former cattle market on Montague Street, the slate connected to the timber and slate yard at the end of Typhoo Wharf and the lead possibly came from the gun proofing house sat over the water from our site.
Photo by Jenny Staats.
Zoe Wakeling 2022
Zoe was a student of Politics and History whose interest was land justice and how the divisions of society and the oppression of certain groups of people had a direct connection to capital land ownership, perceived land ownership and industrialism, capitalism and colonialism. Zoe also performed research around indigenous land practices and how many lost practices (and those that continue to be used in small communities) could hold answers to some of the environmental, health and economic challenges we face today.
Zoe worked with Bill Tripp of the Karuk tribe, a Native American community in northern California, Helen Knott of the Prophet River First Nation in Canada and Laura Hackett and Birmingham-based environmental activist and campaigner to produce a recorded audio story discussed prescribed burning practices, the connection between land justice and gender based violence, and the perpetuated myths used to control land access.
Image by Grand Union, 2023.
Jasmin Mistry 2023
Jasmin’s interests lie in water and the geography and ecosystems of both natural and human-made waterways. Jasmin began research with us as we were finalising the plant list for the Floating Garden to be launched in the Digbeth Branch Canal and began by building a comprehensive database on these plants. We used this information to inform our selections as we were keen to find plants that would have maximum benefit for improving oxygenation, removing pollutants and building new habitat. Jasmin conducted water quality testing when the Floating Garden was first installed and then followed this up once the test tanks were removed. The results showed an increase in oxygen levels and a decrease in electroconductivity synonymous with lower levels of metal elements.
Hannah Simpson, ‘Assessing the status of air quality in Digbeth along Fazeley Street, 2024’
Hannah Simpson 2024
Hannah joined us to look at the air pollution levels of Fazeley Street and more specifically the levels of Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide and Particulate Matter. By spending time with specialist recording equipment across various locations on Fazeley Street, Hannah was able to produce a picture of air pollution that directly correlated with the built environment and the flow of motor traffic on the street.
The highest peaks of particulate matter (measured in two sizes, 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less) were found at the junction of Barn Street and Fazeley Street where cars would regularly brake and accelerate producing harmful particles. Hannah also deduced that by standing on the North side of Fazeley Street the detector would read higher, likely due to the prevailing south to north wind travelling up Barn Street.
Hannah produced a recorded audio story which connected this first hand research to the importance of access to green space in the city, the value and challenge of making air pollution visible and health implications of particulate matter. This will be available on our website soon.