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Volume 1 Summer 2009
BRYNJONES
Volume 1 Summer 2009
First published digitally Summer 2009 2nd Edition minor corrections 15.08.2009 3rd Edition Revised plus new material. 02.11.2009 4th Edition as Snowdragon E-book. 19.05.2013
All content and images copyright © Bryn Jones 2009. All black & white people photographs by Juliet Highet. Bryn’s Portrait photo on the Back Cover by Klaus Helbig www.KlausHelbig.de All rights reserved. I support open access literature. Open access literature, is defined as being digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire booklet, and only in its entirety, are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved. Published as a Snowdragon E-book by Bryn Jones © 2013
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Volume 1 Summer 2009
BRYNJONES
Notes, Reflections, Pictures from Past and Present By Bryn Jones
It all started with ‘work’, not only with work but with a particular kind of work - sorting things out. That would not have been so bad but it also had to do with ‘sorting things’, which is close enough to that famous German pastime called “Ordnung” to give me the willies. Anyway, there I was, confronted with this massive pile of papers that had to be sorted out into 3 piles. One for Bulgaria, one for Germany and the other to be thrown out, sold or got rid of in some other way. Then all of a sudden, heaven came down to earth - I found a foolscap book ( for those of you were born after 1960, ‘foolscap’ is the name of a standard paper size about 4 cm.
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longer than A4 and about 5 cm. less in width) with 220 very closely typed pages, with a very imposing title - 1973 A Book of Visions, subtitled ‘a directory of alternative society projects’. I was reminded that I wrote and contributed something to it. Lo and behold there was written on the front cover in pencil p 26/27, so quickly turning to these pages I was delighted to find that I was quite a prophet back then in 1973! I hope you also find some pleasure in reading what I was into then. In any case, it inspired me to make this compendium. Optimist that I am I called it Volume Number 1. Hope you enjoy it. BJ
Notes to the Revised Edition Although I was aware that there were other materials stashed away I decided to write the first edition without them basically because I had no idea where they could be! To cut a long story short I was very happy to find them all - in October 2009. Enjoy! BJ November 2009
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Volume 1 Summer 2009
BJBJ vol 1 2009 Caernarfon Castle at Night - just around the corner from BJ’s birthplace
Contents 1973 A Book of Visions including the Declaration of Intent of Bryn Jones at the time of The Works ...
4 - 10
The Works Notes and pictures ... ... ... ... ... 11 - 21 Additional pictures and documentation ... 22 - XX
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1973 A BOOK OF VISIONS a directory of alternative projects
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Above and on the following pages is a photo of the original pages from the book. Even when enlarged they are not comfortable to read - that’s why the text has been printed for you.
‘THE WORKS’ IN LONDON W.8 plus school, theatre/circus project etc. ... ... Bryn Jones sent in, late, the following printed leaflet, dated 28th March 1973: “Declaration of Intent”
“Declaration of Intent” My whole life been devoted in one from or another to the study, creation and operation of plans, structures and systems within which people perform their activities. Operational frameworks. For many years I was like an iceberg - the greater part of my being was hidden from the view of most people. Then in 1966 and 1967 I had two experiences
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which exploded me and literally altered my whole direction in life. I slowly, hesitantly, shyly, began to live with a consideration for other human beings and with an everincreasing awareness that both my ‘natural’ and taught abilities could and in fact would have a direct application for ... people. I am writing this piece and distributing it to you because I feel ....
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The Works, London W.8 plus one man’s many other schemes, Cont.
that what I have to offer you can be useful to you and because one of my prime functions in life is to be used by people.
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Page 27
I was born around 2.30 in the morning on the 6th May 1938, the only child of David Idris Jones and Hannah Ellen (Lily) Jones, at Caernarfon in the north west corner of Wales, ....
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.... Snowdonia. My mother tongue is Welsh. My blood is Welsh. My being is Welsh. After a sickly and delicate childhood I was educated to a reasonably high academic level, mostly in the applied ..... applied sciences, attended Liverpool College of Technology and London University, trained with ICI, worked with an airconditioning firm in London as a design engineer, sold encyclopaedias on a commission-only basis for two years, got married, separated, became director of a trading stamp firm, a manager and then director of an international trade fair company and then in 1966 left the formal business world and started my ‘other’ life. In 1969 I was commissioned to design and organise the exhibition for the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales - this enabled me to live in Wales for a year; then came back to London. Lived and worked for a while in Majorca and Paris, and since the end of 1971 have been living in London, the last twelvemonth with Joanna Cock. In terms of structures, my work with internal structures of the human being is referred to as Somatography (Somatography is an art/science; the systematic and formulated pursuit of knowledge regarding the human body and its energetic relationship with the environment and the creative application of that knowledge) A small booklet presently being printed will give fuller information on Somatography in general together with indications of how various Somatographers approach their work. As regards ‘external’ structures up to the late 1960’s I was wholely concerned with the physical manifestation of buildings, frameworks and organisational structures designed specifically to manipulate and control people. for example .... teams of salesmen taught
to manipulate people on an emotional plane, training programmes in ‘ creative sales persuasion’, promotional schemes designed to control the spending of business money in ‘your’ direction, trade fairs designed to make you look at certain things, in a certain way, at a certain time, in a certain place, at a certain price, at a ..... All these frameworks were designed to reduce people to little plastic objects that could be moved around at will to suit the objectives of the ‘controllers’. Whether or no the objectives were ‘moral’ is another matter. Side by side with my interest in these control structures was a growing concern with other forms of physical structures. in my teens I used to plan hotels and eating places. in my twenties I began to contemplate variousstructures both physical and organisational for spiritual retreats in distant rural areas. None of these schemes got very far although on one occasion I raised the cash to put down on a plot in Wales but nothing further happened. Then in late 1969 came the acquisition of a marvellous old grain store, four stories of huge pinelined open space, by the sea, in North Wales, and the formulation of detailed plans for turning it into a community-arts-laboratory-workshopcentre. But planning permission was refused and the whole scheme came to naught. In 1971 - it became clear to me that the one direction for me was towards establishing a place, a centre, devoted to WORK. Thus it was that I began to look for and found The Works; although it was almost ten long months from my first seeing The Works to my actually being handed over the keys in March 1972. Immediately upon completing ....
BJ BJ Vol.1 2009 .... the negotiations for the lease I met Joanna Cock. Then began our partnership in all ways, and we formed The Extra Company to create and manage the basic structure and framework, physical and organisational, of The Works. Soon it is hoped to publish a “Retrospectus and Prospectus of The Works� which will give, amongst other things, information on how it was built up on a truly non-subsidised, noncapitalised, non-exploitative basis, into the healthy self-generative organism it is today. To me The Works is a living representation of the beauty and strength that comes from a balanced blend of free human beings and a sound, people-loving organisational and physical structure, in a working situation.
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Now my thoughts are turning towards the future. Joanna and I are getting married at the end of April and are expecting a child in June. Here are some ideas for the next year or two or more ... Some might well be combined with others in the same physical shell. (1) Creating a school that starts with a class of 4/5 year olds and expands as they grow older i.e. the first year there is one class, the second ear there are two classes, etc. Ultimately one hopes, culminating in a solidlybased constantly expanding educational structure.( At this point I should perhaps mention that at least for the foreseeable future, I see my ....
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The Works/The Extra Company plans also for a school,theatre-circus/housing project etc.
... my social role as that of an ‘engineer’ or ‘builder’ who creates useful structures for the ‘new poor’ - the creative minority who suffer from emotional, bodily or economic poverty due to their being aware of the needs in themselves that are difficult if not impossible to satisfy within the central social structures prevalent today, and who wish to lead their lives in a form or structure which is ‘additional to’ rather than ‘alternative to’ the existing situation. The setting up of the organisation(s) for running these various schemes will be the function of The Extra Company, which will be either directly involved, or, if preferred, act as an advisory/ information giving body.
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(contd) Page 28
(2) The Second Works with, in addition to individual workshops/ studios/offices such other functions as ... a common ownership/profit sharing/nonexploitative business venture concerned with light industrial production; a skill-learning situation; a community workshop, where people could come in from time to time, earn some money and/or have fun making things. (3) a community centre with a strong theatrical content plus a mobile troupe for taking the ‘circus’ with its life and colour to outlying communities. this project is one that I am currently discussing with likethinking friends.
BJ BJ Vol.1 2009 (4) the Livingry Project - in or near Central London; purposebuilt structure for housing up to 300 people in a medium-cost, furnished or semi-furnished, short to medium let term, rented accommodation, with ancillary services from cinema, library to roman-style baths ... based, as all the other projects are, on a people-loving non-exploitative organisational structure. (5) a research unit for ... developing production methods for socially-useful products that are also satisfying to actually make; research into basic energy/power sources; research into organically-satisfying leisure activities.
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and more ... Feel free to use me or join us. Bryn Jones of The Works and The Extra Company, 2 Adeney Road, Fulham Cross, London W.8 Tel 01-352-5007 or 352 1658 ***************************
BJBJ Vol 1 2009
1973 A BOOK OF VISIONS photo of the original back cover. 13
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The Works
Original Photo Credit: Juliet Highet
The Day when The Works opened Bryn Jones on the roof! 14
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The Works
Original Photo Credit: Juliet Highet
Bryn Jones at the time he wrote the Declaration of Intent! 15
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The Works
A short history of The Works. You have probably read in the ‘Declaration’ something about the time up to March 1973. If not, please go back to page 6 and read it! Well at the end of March plans were well ahead for the big wedding which was going to take place on Saturday the 28th April at The Works with about 150 or more people from all over the country. Then the bombshell - the baby obviously was not prepared to wait and decided to get born on, yes you’ve guessed, the 28th! The bride Joanna was not quite up to going through the wedding ceremony, but our new daughter, Edda by name, had a marvellous Birthday Party. Because of course the organisation of the party was so advanced that we decided to hold the party anyway, with only the bridegroom there to represent the new family. A few close friends were indeed able to visit mother and child in the neighbouring clinic to round off the celebration. The addition of a new family member needless to say, brought big changes to the life of the Joneses, but The Works took the change in its stride. There were anyway a couple of children around and the new baby was instantly assimilated into the organisation! Life continued as usual with around 30 people working more or less full time in The Works and often a dozen or more visitors. The permanent core was composed basically of people whose activities could broadly be labelled as creative arts and healing arts and covered such areas as - architecture, metal working, astrology, dress making, plastic forming, graphic design, painting, photography, decorating, homeopathy, massage, reichian therapy, encounter groups, street theatre ... and so on and so forth. Many persons were inspired to start something similar and we heard of projects being set up all over the place, from South London to Australia! Then in 1975 the shock. London had a new local government and new housing schemes. The lease of The Works was given notice and we had to close down and leave! A few of us got together, pooled our resources and bought a large old house near Wandsworth Common, South London. This was The Common House and was, as opposed to The Works, an experiment in living not working. Up to 14 people, 3 of whom were very small people lived in The Common House together until 1977-78 when the experiment was ended, Joanna, Bryn and Edda crossed the English Channel to begin a new life on the European Continent. And that is a whole new story for Volume 2 or maybe for Volume 3
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The Works
This is the invitation to the wedding that turned out to be a birthday party!
Joanna Cock, Co-Founder in The Works
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The Works
Keith around the corner from The Works
John at work
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The Works
Keefe entertains us
Janine is very amused by it all
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The Works
James and friend outside the office door
Ira making his notes
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The Works
Jerome and Theresa
The Works Van and driver
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The Works - additional material
The proud new proprietor!
Works Transport No.1
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The Works - additional material
Joanna the artist, Bryn’s partner in The Extra Company and mother of Edda
The Works Canteen!
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The Works - additional material
Steve from the US - a helping hand
Carlyle one of the first artists to find The Works
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The Works - additional material
The Main Workshop when we moved in
... and after a few months
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The Works - additional material
Works Transport No.2!
Our friendly neighbourhood policeman with John and Brendan
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The Works - additional material
Charles the fabric designer
Jeff the sculptor/designer
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The Works - additional material
John Lott
Bobby Read
Aedan Kelly
Pat Hunt Bryn, Joanna and Ken
Jack Ayton
Janina, Jeff and Kai Lech
Bryn
Kevin Spicer Amazing people - amazing days!
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The Works - additional material
Janine, Kai and The Works Office
Ken the photographer
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The Works - additional material
Keith the poet
Mario the designer
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The Works - additional material
Jeff and the first chair production line...
John and the first steel table
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The Works - additional material
Clothes production - Janet, Maureen and Mary and the baby!
... and music production
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The Works - additional material
Reg the sculptor
... and Eric the artist/designer
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The Works - additional material
The head of William Blake
... and Sona the potter
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Notes about some of the people in and around The Works.
Aedan Kelly who made amazing silk screen prints on silk. Anne Sutherland - Astrologer. Bryn Jones - Designer, healer, father. Bobby Read - did her ‘praktikum’ at The Works. Bonny Boston worked on her life. Brendan McStravick helped his cousin John. Bruce Gernand constructed The Head of William Blake with Jim Leon. Carlyle Reedy, Poet, Artist and founder of Monkey Theatre. Carol Forbes-Thomson designed clothes for Charles Patrick’s ‘grafiti materials’. Carolee Schneemann was Bryn’s inspiration. Edda Venusia is the daughter of Joanna and Bryn. Eric Schubert-Stevens, a Bauhaus graduate designed Exhibition Stands. Geoff Dickson was a local trader. Gugi Sesti - Art Publisher. Ira Einhorn - later suspected of killing his girlfriend in South of France. Jack Ayton, retired house painter knew The Works as a ‘real’ factory! James Doody - Light Artist, created the fabulous light shows for the first Glastonbury Festivals. Jan Bendermacher - Artist from Germany. Janet Douglas, designed the clothes for ‘OneOff ’ whilst Maureen and Mary helped her.
Janina Mintowt-Czyz, Mother of Kai, ran the office. Jeff Boadle, Father of Kai, Sculptor, creator of furniture. Jerome ... was later pop music journalist for The Times. Joanna Cock, later Jones - Artist, mother. John Lifton shared his experiences with The Dairy - a bigger project in Chalk farm. John Lott - Designer of beautiful wooden furniture. John McStravick, Irishman, Constructor of Stainless Steel furniture and objects. Dealt. Kai Lech, son of Janina and Jeff. Keefe West - Actor and singer. Keith Jones - Poet, later head of the British Council in Oman. Ken Sutherland - Photographer. Kevin Spicer - Artist. Lindsay Blackwell - Graphic Designer. Mario Thomson - Designer/maker of acrylic objects, large and small. Pat Hunt - Plumber. Philip Speller - Clothesmaker. Reg Jacobs - Sculptor. Ruth Lakowski - Media Artist. Sarah Sesti, Gugi’s muse. Sona Kalundin - Potter. Theresa d’Abo - completely lost touch! Valerie Ludbrooke - Fashion Designer. Steve Kunika - was just passing through...
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Facsimile of the original Nowist Manifesto Part 1
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Facsimile of the original Nowist Manifesto Part 2
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Facsimile of the original Flyer ‘Declaration of Intent’
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Facsimile of the original Article in ‘Magazine 19’ as it appeared in the June 1973 issue
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Facsimile of the original Works News 21st. June 1973
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Facsimile of the original Works Structure Summer 1972
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Facsimile of the original Works Organogram August 1972
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THE END Facsimile of the original Notice of Termination 4 Sept. 1973 for March 1974
BJBJ Vol 1 2009
The Works Conclusion
Notes to the photographs on the previous pages This is a small selection based simply on accident, synchronicity or simply the fact that they were available as the decision was made to produce this volume! In any case I was pleased to find some of the photos of people with whom I have lost touch. So, if you see yourself here, do please get in touch with Bryn Jones. For news of the artist Joanna Jones go to www.joannajones.co.uk For news of Edda Venusia Jones go to www.eddajones.com
Bryn and Joanna ended up in Germany, got divorced, each married again and they are still good friends! Edda is back in the UK. Bryn Jones closed his private practice as psychotherapist and naturopath in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in 2006. Meanwhile he got married to Jana Marinova-Jones and shares his time between Germany and Bulgaria. For more about his work, please go to www.SnowdragonClinic.com
BRYNJONES Germany and Bulgaria www.bryn-jones.com All content and images copyright Š Bryn Jones and Snowdragon Ltd. 2009. All black and white photographs by Juliet Highet. All rights reserved. I support open access literature. Open access literature, is defined as being digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire book, and only in its entirety, are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.
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BJBJ Vol 1 2009
The Works
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Screenshot from GoogleMaps
This is where The Works used to be.
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Bryn Jones, N.D. is a psychotherapist and naturopath living partly in Sofia, Bulgaria and partly in Freiburg, Black Forest, Germany when he is not travelling with his wife Jana to one of his favourite places in the Far East. Contact per e-mail: mail @ bryn - jones. com
This is a Snowdragon book.
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