What happens to buildings when their owners stop using them? Two photographers explore the use and misuse of space in an exhibition at the 491 — a gallery facing eviction. Words: Vyvian Raoul

Waste of Space is an exhibition by Adrian Nettleship and Lisa Furness. We asked them about the project, the themes it explores and the significance of Leytonstone.

Is the exhibition a reaction to the recent criminalisation of squatting?
Adrian: I put the Occupy and Explore project together when the change in the law was still in the balance. It seemed that there was a huge amount of misinformation about the subject. When you looked into it, it was clear that the situations that motivated people to support a change in the law were already clear cut. It was always illegal to invade someone else’s home, but this was being omitted from the discussion. So now, in a time of huge public sector cuts and a lack of affordable housing, our taxes are being spent on criminalising people to protect the owners of empty properties. I don’t believe the change in the law will benefit the majority, and the way in which it was changed was thoroughly disingenuous with regards to democracy. I feel that these are matters that must be discussed.

Lisa: I spent several years living in Bristol photographing abandoned and derelict buildings and looking at the effect of time and neglect upon man-made structures. The tragic story of waste told by these buildings led me towards the squatting scene, which provides an alternative future for them and a more hopeful narrative. This exhibition is the natural result of my first forays into squatting culture and the recent change in the law just made it more important to show this work publicly.