Infrapenny Infrastructure
The relics of disused Victorian railway lines scattered across the landscape attest to a creative spark that demanded progress and bore no sentimentality, a recognition that reaching the future required risk, demolition, casualties.
Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell.
It’s a great book for telling us about Europe between the wars; but also because of what can it tell us about today, in particular homelessness?
For Whom The School Bell Tolls
“Who should the school governor listen to if they get conflicting information? The Local Authority or the government?”
Answers came there none…
Risk and the construction industry
Understandably, Health and Safety has been a major concern for workers, unions and health and safety organisations for many years. However, in the age of coronavirus there is a growing perception that all jobs must be “safe”.
Casinovirus
The joy of gambling – the bit that is missed by the puritans – is that it is a social activity. Gambling by yourself on a mobile phone has its appeal, but it is no replacement for having a bet with others.
Down and Out in Manchester
“Homelessness is a problem all around the world. Through my lens and this mini-series of images, I wanted to expose a human situation that is both local and global; human and troubling”. – Zhu Runzi
Black & White issues
Dameon Garnett’s ‘Sticks and Stones’, whose run at the Tristan Bates Theatre was curtailed by the COVID-19 crisis, is an attempt to articulate the importance of free speech and the dangers of identity politics in our time.
Chernobyl Fallout
The virus thrives on the essential elements of social life, such as the need to socialise, the importance of proximity, or the desire to comfort. To defeat the virus, we are told that we have to become reclusive.
Stay safe but remain sceptical
Regardless of the UK government’s twelfth-hour assurance that these new powers will be reviewed every six months, a potentially worrying precedent may have already been set.
Identity Politics ain’t Liberal
“Common cause” is not going to work if we have to morally browbeat people into supporting the uncommon interests of oppressed minority-groups. The question is, what unites us?
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