SOCIAL
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Personal response, collective action
This publication is the outcome of a collaborative public workshop exploring the links between art and activism. The workshops act to bring people together, including those who would not otherwise have met and therefore attempt to start a conversation, a think tank for change inspired by public expression and community. The space is characterised by the power to connect and create, the act of collaborating and making to brainstorm ideas in order to explore new hopeful visions of society. This process includes highlighting the alternative ways of living being realised around us and the belief in an alternative tomorrow. Participants are encouraged to work in the medium they prefer, aligning with the philosophy that everyone belongs somewhere on the spectrum of creativity.
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A rhizome, from the ancient Greek, “mass of roots�, is a modified stem of a plant that is usually found underground whereby plants share and cultivate the same communal root system. If a rhizome is separated into pieces, each piece is able to give rise to a new plant. The workshops are structured to reflect a rhizomatic root system: - No beginning or end (ongoing discussion) - Multiple entry points (coming together to create multiple alternatives) - Mutualism (cooperation) - Non-hierarchical but diverse in character (community of individuals) - Disturbances leave no trace (equilibrium)
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Rehumanise Engaging with and attempting to overcome the stigma’s around modern day immigration.
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Sunlight comes from 93 million miles away but it is still beautiful. It warms our cold rock. It nurtures oceans and soils, rendering them fertile.
make people unhappy. Scared of a future full of promise. Strong communities are open to change, welcoming rejuvenation. New ideas and people are invigorating. Don’t cut off our circulation.
The borders between us keep out the light, and turn what could be a rich soil, full of every nutrient into something barren. A brittle mono-culture, doomed to extinction. Lets open the windows and free the fresh air in our lungs. Welcoming the outside world as the friend it is lest our walls become our prison.
Without porous borders we will suffocate. Choking on parochial self-harming and the myth of imperial superiority - invented to bolster our punctured, deflating national ego and to justify the unjustifiable we don’t need these crutches.
Even before the Middle Ages communities were enriched by spices, metals, knowledge and peoples from far off places. Without that perpetual flow societies stagnate and die.
There’s a field of many grasses. It ripples under a sea salt smelling wind. Our friends are waving from across the way, beckoning.
Don’t get me wrong I love pie and mash but if I ate it everyday I’d probably get scurvy.
We run to meet them bathed in a light that’s travelled 93 million miles, to light up this single moment.
Nostalgic yearning for a country that never was, serves only to
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Your guide to inappropriate
Common name:
Our native Red Squirrel
Latin Name:
Sciurus vulgaris
Reason for decline in numbers: loss of habitat, human activity, inability to eat acorns, squirrel parapoxvirus is fatal. Viewed as:
patriotic victim of greedy incomers.
Verdict: AppropriAte squirrel 14
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Samuel 7 billion potent ial friends
Rachel 7 billion potent ial friends
David 7 billion potent ial friends
Aaron 7 billion potent ial friends
Nathan 7 billion potent ial friends Abigail 7 billion potent ial friends
Peter 7 billion potent ial friends
Zach 7 billion potent ial friends
Bethany 7 billion potent ial friends Tom 7 billion potent ial friends Gabriel 7 billion potent ial friends
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“I decided to carry the placard as a way of giving immigration a face and also allowing people to ask me questions to ally their fears of immigrants� - Bisi Alimi
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1. You’ll meet lots of friendly people who care about the same things as you. Protesters are a notoriously friendly bunch, so even if you go alone, you’re sure to meet people you can match/ sit/chant/hangout with.
4. You’ll get some fresh air. Protests are usually outdoors, so tis’ an excuse to get out of the house and outside! (in case of rain, bring umbrella or occupy an indoor space). Don’t forget to dress for the weather to maximise fun.
2. You’ll learn loads. There’s bound to be plenty of groups or organisations there with lots of knowledge and information about the issues at hand. Lots of protests feature speeches at the beginning, which is a great opportunity to get clued up!
5. You’ll actually be doing something about the issues that matter to you. You’ll actively be trying to change the way things are (and shouldn’t be). You’ll increase the visibility of your cause and you’ll show solidarity with those suffering injustice. People, especially collective groups of people, absolutely have the power to change things. So get out and do it!!
3. You’ll feel encouraged. Sometimes it’s easy to feel like nothing will ever change or like issues are too huge for one person or group to tackle. At protests, you’re surrounded by other people who believe change is possible and who are working towards it. It might just be what you need to keep going!
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EDL: English Disco Lovers are an anti-racism, pro-equality group that subvert the commonly understood abbreviation EDL (English Defence League) by challenging its hatred and anger with an upbeat alternative. They realise the energy and positive sounds of disco and its origins in unity and self-expression for marginalised subcultures. This pairing then acts to bring people together, to celebrate diversity and community. The campaign hopes to “support the utopian vision of disco, promoting the mantra of, ‘one world, one race, one disco.’”
Dressed in Afro wigs, flares and sparkles they intervene EDL protests all over the country and have performed at festivals such as Glastonbury and Shambala. Reaching over 60,000 likes on Facebook they have a loyal following, strengthening their aim to replace the existing top hit results of EDL with their campaign. Now all they ask of you is to join the witty, humorous and encouraging movement to disco against discrimination, “to join hands and start a love train, love train”.
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Cindy Devni Damiaan Dominic Helen Jim Kelise Laura Luke Megan Michael Tom
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Project held at LARC (London Action Resource Centre)
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