[matilda] Cooling the Towers is in peril.

[Dave Holloway, Medlo]

Hello

This is what I think we should do;

We need a press release detailing everything and explaining our argument in clear, concise terminology. This needs to go to every art and news organisation in the country, and a select few across the world. We need to put all the information (the history of the idea, the competition entries, arguments for and against, the council and owners point of view - everything!) in the hands of the people. In these circumstances no-one will ever side with the big company against the little artists and we are virtually guaranteed public support. We need a dedicated website, an online petition and for us all the contact our friends in the media who can push this story.

The radio and the Telegraph were a good start guys, well done - now we need to get you back on the front cover of the Guardian for another story. I'm more than happy to go up to the site with you and shoot and edit a little 5 minute promo that we can spread across youtube, myspace, blogs etc that sets our argument out. 

We really need to emphasise 
a) how much work by the public has gone into this (and by that I mean exploit the stories of classrooms of kids sending in entries, designs from abroad, public support etc)
b) how big organisations like Channel 4, the Guardian and Antony Gormley are completely behind the idea. Oh, and someone get the Arctics to help - nothing backs you up like a big name.
c) how many Sheffield organisations are behind it (just looking through this list of email addresses I see so many names I recognise. If we all put our names, bands, collectives and mailing lists behind the initiative we can hit thousands upon thousands of people in one fell swoop). This needs to be the creative peeps of Sheffield standing together.
d) that regeneration doesn't just mean having more nice new flats for students, it means improving the standing of a city and self-respect of its population. This project would help do that. I'm haunted by the idea that all the people on the M1 ever see is an old industry and Meadowhall. Look what the Angel of the North did for Glasgow... we'd have people visiting Sheffield just to see the towers.
e) that above all else this is a really good idea that had real potential to happen, and it's being ruined by needless economic greed and a complete inability to look towards the long term.

We also need to get posters into every news agents in the county, this should be the no.1 talking point for everybody. Lets all keep abreast of Sheffield Forums and make sure the subject stays at the top - does anyone want to start a Towers-specific blog that keeps the world updated on any developments? Calender News, Sandman, the BBC, Hallam FM, Exposed, the Star, the Telegraph and all those other local publications don't just need to cover the story, they need to be on our side. 

Whenever people ask me what Sheffield is like, I tell them about Go and this incredible idea they had that was about to come to fruition. They can't fail, and we need to give them all the support they need.

Any more ideas?

Dave


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gareth Roberts 
  To: 'Go' ; adam at detailrecordings.co.uk ; band at smokersdieyounger.com ; ben.richardson at sheffield.ac.uk ; can.you.tell.me at illustriouscompany.co.uk ; carolinestrap at aol.com ; erinbach at yahoo.co.uk ; hiemrecordings at fsmail.net ; hux at medlo.net ; kateyfairy at hotmail.com ; mail at 65daysofstatic.com ; mark_stoney at hotmail.com ; matt at the-plug.com ; me at alanheighton.co.uk ; medialounge at medlo.net ; smokers_die_younger at yahoo.co.uk ; suziew at magneticn.co.uk ; 'Aidan cade' ; 'alan Deadman' ; 'Alastair Parvin' ; 'Alec Patton' ; 'Alex Lawson' ; 'Alex Szabo-Haslam' ; 'Alex Turner' ; 'Andi Stamp' ; 'Andrew Brown' ; 'camilla lyon' ; 'cara c' ; 'car crash' ; Catherine.Fairhurst at sth.nhs.uk ; 'celia lois' ; 'chris gibbons' ; 'chris iffy' ; 'Chris Lowlife' ; 'ciaran Humphries' ; 'Craig Geoffrey Pennington' ; 'DANIEL HARRISON' ; 'Dave Holloway (Media Lounge)' ; 'Derville Quigley' ; 'Dom smith' ; 'dougald hine' ; 'Dr Jon' ; 'Edwards Rhys' ; 'Elizabeth Madin' ; 'feedle' ; 'Gemma Knox' ; 'Hannah Stoney' ; 'Ian Baxter' ; 'Jack Goodhand' ; 'Jeremy Till' ; 'Jim Ottewill' ; 'Jim Prevett' ; 'Joe Public' ; 'joe stewo' ; 'Joey Stevenson' ; 'Jonathan Cannon' ; 'Joseph MHLONGO' ; 'Kate Lockhart' ; 'kev grEy' ; 'Kid Acne' ; 'kirsteen hardie' ; 'louisa harris' ; 'mark parsons' ; 'Martin Lacey' ; 'Megan Swart' ; 'Nick Bax' ; 'Patrick Walker' ; 'Paul Vintin' ; 'penny blackham' ; 'Pete Green' ; 'Peter/P+P' ; 'Peter Cragg' ; 'RALPH COLLIS' ; 'Raw Magazine' ; 'Ryan Juliun P' ; 'Sam Vardy' ; 'Sarah ingolfsdottir' ; 'Sophie Townsend' ; 'stathis' ; 'Stefan Janusz' ; 'Steph Burns' ; 'Stuart Ledger' ; 'TADO' ; 'Tamsin' ; 'Tim Wakefield' ; 'Tom Schrieber' ; 'tom stafford' ; 'Trish O'Shea' ; 'Ursula Walls' ; 'Victoria Robinson' ; 'York Hannah' ; 'Zoe Ellsmore' ; 'Andy Brown' ; 'Dan Lee' ; 'J E Ottewill' ; 'peter Cragg' ; disinfo at thedesignersrepublic.com ; james at sevenby7.co.uk ; john.mothersole at sheffield.gov.uk ; math.teacher at blueyonder.co.uk ; matilda at lists.aktivix.org ; missy_tassles at dsl.pipex.com ; neilparry at beeb.net ; p.chiles at sheffield.ac.uk ; peterjohnson at scriberazone.co.uk ; s.wigglesworth at sheffield.ac.uk ; wildrosie at hotmail.com ; 'Alex Turner' ; 'Alun Cocks' ; 'andi' ; 'Anne Marie Hald' ; 'ann shenton' ; 'Augustus Casely-Hayford' ; 'ben cooney' ; 'Ben Duong' ; 'Ben Shakespeare' ; 'carl smith' ; 'Carmel OToole' ; 'C B L Preston' ; 'C F Toogood' ; 'Charlotte Beevor Reid' ; 'Chris Dunlop' ; 'Chris Mabbs' ; 'Christiane Meckseper' ; 'Colin Havard' ; 'Dan Sumption' ; 'Daryl Gowlett' ; 'David Gray' ; 'Derville Quigley' ; 'dorian cox' ; 'Duncan yo' ; 'Dyon Isis' ; 'ed carter' ; 'edwin rostron' ; 'Elaine Stuart' ; 'G E Chalfont' ; 'george Hill' ; 'Gosse Ann' ; 'Graeme Stonehouse' ; 'Graham Duncan' ; 'Grayshon, Liz' ; Helen.Batt at groundwork.org.uk ; 'Humphreys Jon' ; 'Ian Anderson' ; 'Ian Liptrot' ; 'Info From Thee SPC' ; 'j.alsop at sheffield.ac.uk' ; 'jacky hall' ; 'jamie Mclaughlin' ; 'Jamie Veitch' ; 'Jan Sandman' ; 'jenny wilkinson' ; 'Jillian Creasy' ; 'Joe' ; 'Joe' ; 'john chapman' ; 'Julian Dobson' ; JustineGaubert at theworkshop.co.uk ; 'K A Alexander' ; 'Kate Russell' ; 'Keith' ; 'Laura Birchenough' ; 'louis rice' ; 'Lucy Evans' ; 'Makeila Drew' ; 'Maria Olafsdottir' ; 'Matt Evans' ; 'Mercy' ; 'Mike Dewar' ; 'Neill Birchenall' ; 'Nick Johnson' ; 'Nic Philps' ; 'okie dules' ; 'pippa pippa' ; emma.pratt at operanorth.co.uk ; 'R Buswell' ; 'Richard Motley' ; 'rick hill' ; 'Robert Adlam' ; 'Ruth Passey' ; 'Sam Bunn' ; 'Suzie Webb' ; 'trevor' ; 'Turner Alex' ; 'Via Studio' ; 'Waq' ; 'Wendy.Bussey at groundwork.org.uk' ; 'wendy foster' ; 'W Hazel' ; worldwarfree at riseup.net 
  Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 5:03 PM
  Subject: RE: Cooling the Towers is in peril.


  Hello People,

   

  I was wondering if anyone has a really radical idea, you know so blinking out there that no one has ever thought of it. In fact words don't exist that can describe this idea it is so blinking genius. NO? Oh dear. We're shafted. Again.

   

  The Cooling Towers. It's another inevitable outcome. It's another stitch up. A done deal. Just like the Leadmill. Just like the E-Campus. Just like the Pop Centre. Just like Matilda. It's a fix I say. You see the establishment loves to see the little men and women get excited about something, only to take it away and smash it up. Death by slow bleeding. Except you don't know your bleeding until your dead.

   

  What should we do? We should revel in our position of weakness. Our inability to do anything expect watch and gasp. Talk about it in romantic terms of endearment, you know like when you think of old friends, and days gone by. Reminisce about how great they were, how wonderful those cooling towers were, how great it would have been, if only..

   

  Don't you see?! They can take away the towers, but they can't take away the idea of the towers.. Once they have struck them down, they will become more stronger than they ever were. You know like Obi-Wan Kenobi, only real.

   

  What should we do? We should leave Sheffield. Escape like rats from a sinking ship. One mans heaven is another man's hell, and this time the balance is tipping the wrong way. Even if they kept the towers, turned them into Sheffield's "Angel of the North", what would be the outcome - gentrification, city living dickheads, rising costs, crime, drugs, prostitution, seafront penthouses.

   

  Don't you see?! The best thing that could ever happen is about to happen. They'll take away the towers, and we'll be left with nothing. and everything. Wallowing, stricken, smashed on the rocks - and out of the ashes a phoenix will rise. We don't need your poxy f-ing towers. Keep 'em. Grind 'em to dust. See if we really care.

   

  Even if the towers stayed, and they were made into something wonderful, magical even, imaginations unbound, words cannot explain. those corporate f***ers would come along and claim them as their own. Sheffield's on the map again, Sheffield's the UK's most innovative city, the most creative city - fine, great, wonderful, but you ask yourself - and you know who you are, you Town Hall dwelling suits - what is it exactly that makes Sheffield all that and so much more? Not the buildings, not the posh water features, or the fancy dancy MDF high rise slums of the future wank that excuses itself for architecture these days - no none of that. It's one thing, and one thing alone - the people.

   

  So people. Are you listening? The question is this - do you fight to win, or fight to lose. And in this particular case what exactly is a win?

   

  Come you c**ts. Let's have it.

   


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  From: Go [mailto:go.sheffield at gmail.com] 
  Sent: 27 September 2006 16:49
  To: adam at detailrecordings.co.uk; band at smokersdieyounger.com; ben.richardson at sheffield.ac.uk; can.you.tell.me at illustriouscompany.co.uk; carolinestrap at aol.com; erinbach at yahoo.co.uk; gejroberts at blueyonder.co.uk; hiemrecordings at fsmail.net; hux at medlo.net; kateyfairy at hotmail.com; mail at 65daysofstatic.com; mark_stoney at hotmail.com; matt at the-plug.com; me at alanheighton.co.uk; medialounge at medlo.net; smokers_die_younger at yahoo.co.uk; suziew at magneticn.co.uk; Aidan cade; alan Deadman; Alastair Parvin; Alec Patton; Alex Lawson; Alex Szabo-Haslam; Alex Turner; Andi Stamp; Andrew Brown; camilla lyon; cara c; car crash; Catherine.Fairhurst at sth.nhs.uk; celia lois; chris gibbons; chris iffy; Chris Lowlife; ciaran Humphries; Craig Geoffrey Pennington; DANIEL HARRISON; Dave Holloway (Media Lounge); Derville Quigley; Dom smith; dougald hine; Dr Jon; Edwards Rhys; Elizabeth Madin; feedle; Gemma Knox; Hannah Stoney; Ian Baxter; Jack Goodhand; Jeremy Till; Jim Ottewill; Jim Prevett; Joe Public; joe stewo; Joey Stevenson; Jonathan Cannon; Joseph MHLONGO; Kate Lockhart; kev grEy; Kid Acne; kirsteen hardie; louisa harris; mark parsons; Martin Lacey; Megan Swart; Nick Bax; Patrick Walker; Paul Vintin; penny blackham; Pete Green; Peter/P+P; Peter Cragg; RALPH COLLIS; Raw Magazine; Ryan Juliun P; Sam Vardy; Sarah ingolfsdottir; Sophie Townsend; stathis; Stefan Janusz; Steph Burns; Stuart Ledger; TADO; Tamsin; Tim Wakefield; Tom Schrieber; tom stafford; Trish O'Shea; Ursula Walls; Victoria Robinson; York Hannah; Zoe Ellsmore; Andy Brown; Dan Lee; J E Ottewill; peter Cragg; disinfo at thedesignersrepublic.com; james at sevenby7.co.uk; john.mothersole at sheffield.gov.uk; math.teacher at blueyonder.co.uk; matilda at lists.aktivix.org; missy_tassles at dsl.pipex.com; neilparry at beeb.net; p.chiles at sheffield.ac.uk; peterjohnson at scriberazone.co.uk; s.wigglesworth at sheffield.ac.uk; wildrosie at hotmail.com; Alex Turner; Alun Cocks; andi; Anne Marie Hald; ann shenton; Augustus Casely-Hayford; ben cooney; Ben Duong; Ben Shakespeare; carl smith; Carmel OToole; C B L Preston; C F Toogood; Charlotte Beevor Reid; Chris Dunlop; Chris Mabbs; Christiane Meckseper; Colin Havard; Dan Sumption; Daryl Gowlett; David Gray; Derville Quigley; dorian cox; Duncan yo; Dyon Isis; ed carter; edwin rostron; Elaine Stuart; G E Chalfont; george Hill; Gosse Ann; Graeme Stonehouse; Graham Duncan; Grayshon, Liz; Helen.Batt at groundwork.org.uk; Humphreys Jon; Ian Anderson; Ian Liptrot; Info From Thee SPC; j.alsop at sheffield.ac.uk; jacky hall; jamie Mclaughlin; Jamie Veitch; Jan Sandman; jenny wilkinson; Jillian Creasy; Joe; Joe; john chapman; Julian Dobson; JustineGaubert at theworkshop.co.uk; K A Alexander; Kate Russell; Keith; Laura Birchenough; louis rice; Lucy Evans; Makeila Drew; Maria Olafsdottir; Matt Evans; Mercy; Mike Dewar; Neill Birchenall; Nick Johnson; Nic Philps; okie dules; pippa pippa; emma.pratt at operanorth.co.uk; R Buswell; Richard Motley; rick hill; Robert Adlam; Ruth Passey; Sam Bunn; Suzie Webb; trevor; Turner Alex; Via Studio; Waq; Wendy.Bussey at groundwork.org.uk; wendy foster; W Hazel; worldwarfree at riseup.net
  Subject: Cooling the Towers is in peril.

   

  Hello everyone,

  This is Go bothering you again for your support and attention for just a few minutes. Nearly a year ago we were going full whack to try and get the Cooling Towers in Tinsley, Sheffield, to be part of Channel 4' s Big Art Project. Thanks to you lot, we managed to get down to the final 6 winning sites and had the chance to make the Cooling towers project a reality. There was only one problem...Eon (the company that own Powergen). They own the towers, and the land around them, and were not interested in supporting any kind of artwork on the site. They announced that they were going to demolish the towers as they were unsafe. 

  That was then. Now, after several months of site surveys, negotiation and political goings on way above our heads, Eon have come to their final decision. And surprise bloody surprise, they haven't budged an inch. The towers are still meant to be coming down by the end of this year. 

  Eon, clearly, are idiots. They have listed all the reasons why the towers have to come down, but have failed to choose very valid ones. They claim that the majority of Sheffield is in favour of the towers being demolished. What they have overlooked, is that their survey is of 500 people, with only half of that (250) favouring demolition. If their maths is as good as ours, then they have forgotten the fact that nearly 500 of you, including local councillors and Antony Gormley, nominated the towers for the Big Art Project. In my book, that's a few more. 

  They also claim that their plan will bring more jobs to the area. Oh dear, they're wrong again. Will they never learn? Building a massive Toys R Us or whatever they go for, will not usher Sheffield into a Golden Age of economic happiness. Whereas, potentially, an internationally acclaimed artwork, and new icon for the city, might just attract a bit of attention and investment. 

  Clearly, I should be mayor.

  We wanted to tell you all this because you are the ones who helped us get this far, and we couldn't have done it without you. You deserve to find out like this rather than reading it in the papers. 

  But we may need to call upon your good nature again at some point soon. We're not willing to let some goon from an electricity company tell us that Sheffield is not worth it. We're not willing to let someone without even the tiniest bit of vision stop us after we've come this far. Without meaning to get all OTT and melodramatic, this is war. 

  It's The People versus. Eon will wish they'd never started on us. We're double hard and all that. The thing is, who determines what our landmarks should be? Who chooses the way we want our city to be? Who decides what to do with our icons? 

  We don't think it should be some suit who doesn't get it.

  This city is yours.

  We'll be in touch.

  Go x
  -- 
  GO Sheffield

  Post-industrial City Lovers 

  >>>> www.dontgo.co.uk 

  -- 


  We're sending you this email because we think you'll be interested, and because you're extremely patient and good-natured. If you don't want to receive emails from us, let us know. Big love. DON'T SLEEP ON SOUTH YORKS x 




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