Winter on the Thames Part 1 Project 2024 Zeina Elmahboub Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport - Smart Village Campus Cairo | Egypt Throughout almost 11 centuries, the Thames froze frequently due to lower water temperatures and slower flow. During the “River Thames Frost Fairs” Londoners and visitors would take to the ice-covered river to witness the spectacle and enjoy the myriad of activities and celebrations over the river. In 1831 the old London Bridge was demolished and replaced with a wider new bridge, then the river was embanked in stages which made it less likely to freeze.The project proposes an imaginary modification of the Thames Barrier to allow the return of the Frost Fairs through a controlled freezing of the Thames River for three months each year. By slowing down water flow and artificially lowering water temperatures, a freezing process is directed and the Thames Barrier becomes the conductor of a year-long orchestra of machinic, structural and celebratory performance on the Thames. During the three months fair, temporary activities spill out from above the barrier and onto the river, giving Londoners new ways to enjoy their river. The Frost Fairs are not only seen as the height of holiday joy, spectacle, and celebration, but also a way to connect the city and its inhabitants to the riverfront by creating a new type of temporary public space. By industrially replicating this naturally occurring phenomena, the project discusses our relationship to technology, attempts to control nature, the production and consumption of happiness and the economies of joy in the 21st century. Tutor(s)