Tate Modern Art Gallery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tate Modern Art Gallery - Essay Example The researcher of the essay "Tate Modern Art Gallery" gives a review of Tate Modern, London modern art gallery. In the year 1930, the responsibility was given to Sir Giles Gilber Scott. The power station got completed in two phases, with a 200m long brick clad steel structure having a 99m high central chimney. The height was kept a bit lower than the dome of St. Paul’s cathedral, situated on the other side of the river. The power station was made to order due to a power shortage back in 1947; but as the power pant was an oil-based one, it had huge emission of polluted gas in surrounding air. Apart from this, dumping of noxious chemicals in nearby grounds was a part and parcel of the plant operation. Due to gradually rising oil prices it seemed to be uneconomical to carry on with the power station. Finally in 1982, the power station was shut down. After that for several years, this power station was at jeopardy of being knocked down by the developers. A number of people campaig ned for the new usage of the unused building. In 1993, the knocking down process started with digging up a hole on the station wall. Then only BBC came up with a program called â€Å"One foot in the past† focusing on the imminent danger of the old building; a passionate appeal was given by Dan Cruikshank, the reporter in there. Later on in the year 1994, Tate Gallery announced that they are going to develop new house of Tate Modern in the Bankside Power station. At present this is one of the successful art galleries. ... In the eighteen century it was an important trade and industry sector. It was destroyed heavily during Second World War, but construction of Bankside bought a major change. Being an oil based power generating station, it resulted in different pollution related factors. The power station dumped harmful chemicals in the nearby ground that polluted the underground water and surrounding water bodies. The station had emitted different gases directly into the atmosphere without treating them properly for purification and filtration. These gases contain high concentration of carbon dioxide and several other toxic exhausts which deteriorated the environment around. When an international survey was conducted in 1962 by National Survey on Air Pollution, a high volume of smoke and sulphur dioxide was found to be present. The reasons behind such changes were pointed towards a decline in the consumption of coal and a growth in use of oil as a fuel. It was also found that the black smoke emitted b y diesel engines contain carbon mono oxide which is highly poisonous for the health of living being (The British Medical Journal, 1967). The oil based power generation station neglected many legal factors to keep the pollution level low and all these had resulted high pollution of land, water and air. It caused harm to both vegetation and animals of the nearby locality and turned to a major threat to the environment. Health and safety issues related to Tate Modern Bankside power station was in a closed state for many years, so when Tate Gallery decided to convert it in an art gallery there were many safety and health related issues that required to be handled with due importance. The air