[matilda] Matilda: From activism to art

[atw]

OK I've posted this to the forums so please post all replies there to
avoid spamming the list.

cheers

steve



Matilda: From activism to art
-----------------------------
http://www.matilda.aktivix.org/.cgi/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=8


Matilda was first used as a base for action against the G8 summit.
Since then interests have shifted, almost entirely, away from
political activism to art based activities. I use the word 'art' in
the loose sense of the word. Activities are driven more by people's
creative impulses rather than political motives. This includes
everything from art displays, music events, and film shows, to
cooking, building repairs and web design. This is not to say these
creative activities are not political. They definitely are. One could
say that most, if not all, art has a political dimension one way or
another.

However it does seem that the spirit of defiance and the will for
confrontation has evaporated. Little direct action type stuff has been
organised in Matilda since the G8 and what there has been has usually
come from outside groups like the Dissent network or Saving Iceland.
Most political activist stuff in Sheffield is centred outside Matilda.
Local activist issues such as We Want Our Buses Back, asylum seekers'
evictions, anti war, nuclear weapons & US bases, Mohammad Arian and
incapacity benefit cuts are all based elsewhere.

This is not intended to be a criticism either. There's nothing wrong
with creativity and it's a lot more worthwhile than being a pointless
cog in a corporate machine. I'm involved in this process as much as
anyone else and enjoy creative activities. They're not only more fun
and rewarding but they're a good deal less stressful than political
confrontations.

However this does raise some interesting questions.

We've become kind of temporary property owners, or at least custodians
of the building.

How much influence does the building and this position exert over what
we do?

If there was another event like the G8 summit would we, or could we,
agree that Matilda should be used as a convergence space? Or would the
risks entailed be seen as too great? Would people fear that a
multitude of other, often longer term, Matilda projects might be
jeopardised by the obvious dangers of such a one off event?

If people are given the time, space and freedom to be creative is the
motivation for the political activities automatically diminished?

Has this phenomenon been repeated at other social centres in the
country?

Is dispossession a useful or even essential prerequisite for radical
political activism?


REPLY HERE: http://www.matilda.aktivix.org/.cgi/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=8






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