My dear friends, flanuers and foxcubs
I hope spring is springing up nicely where you are, I saw my first
ducklings of the year on the canal yesterday which is always a cause for celebration and every time I walk down the street something new is blossoming… I love the colours, much as I love this place it can tend to the drab in places and I want frivolity, prettiness and joy…. Let’s celebrate the so called weeds which spring up amongst the broken paving slabs and raise a glass to buddlia, patron plant of the peoples republic of mancunia.
Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch after last months mailing, I really appreciate your comments, not least because hurtling words into cyberspace one can never be sure of their impact. It delights me the diggers resonate so loudly and it was a joy to hear from so many people with a passion for radical history.
Mays first Sunday is going to be rather unusual (I don’t know quite what to expect myself, but then I never do) It will be curated by Tim and he plans to tell tales of Rebels, Revolutionaries, and Independent Thinkers He says “My plan includes the following: John Bradford, John Dee, Fredrick Engels & Karl Marx, the Pankhursts, the English Civil War Siege of Manchester, Elizabeth Gaskell, the Jacobites and Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jerome Caminada, Annie Horniman and the Peterloo Massacre and hopefully others. As this will be an LRM event, I am anticipating our usual interactive style, which makes our explorings so very enjoyable!”
The meeting point is at the front of the Duke of Wellington pub in the Shambles at 2:00pm. Afterwards doubtless some will share a beverage and banter in a convivial pub but several of us will be hotfooting it across the river to enjoy Sounds of the Other City Salford’s musical extravaganza
Mayday is possibly my favourite bank holiday of the year being a heady mix of Beltaine, dancing and workers solidarity. Some of you may recall last year’s inaugural LRM Fox Hunt; a giant game of tactical hide and seek with high vis jackets and much silliness on the streets. I have heard the impatient cries of tally ho and bow to demand for another round – but this year the game will be bigger, trickster-ier and even more ridiculous.
I am delighted The LRM Fox Hunt will manifest itself again as part of The HideandSeek Sandpit at Contact Theatre on Saturday 15th May 7pm-ish as part of the always interesting Futureeverything. http://www.futureeverything.org/assets/files/FE10_Brochure.pdf
More details as soon as we have them but be assured: glorious shenanigans will result. And of course not a single real fox will be troubled; we are not scum and barbarity is never sporting.
If you can keep a secret and want to play a special role in the game please get in touch with me as soon as possible, but don’t tell anyone you are doing so. The LRM: like M15 but with more glitter and a nicer mission
Our friends are also up to all kinds of exciting things this week (hence the lack of another mini-fest: we want collaboration not competition between interesting people: there is more than enough energy and imagination to go round. And we like not having to do all the organising) The following all come heartily recommended:
Manchester No Borders are hosting a community barbeque in Hulme tomorrow http://nobordersmanchester.blogspot.com/ The LRM will never tell you how or if to vote but we will say loud and proud: everyone is welcome here. Fuck off racists, no pasaran!
The Manchester Municipal Design Corporation and Manchester Modernist Society invite everyone to meet at the Odeon Oxford Road on Tuesday to celebrate a cultural landmark by projecting images onto its façade. They promise there will be popcorn and a seminar afterwards. Action starts 9.30pm prompt. The Manchester Modernist Map is being launched on Friday too http://www.manchestermodernistsociety.org/map.html
A call has been issued for events to form part of Hazard, Manchester’s biennial festival of intervention and mischief, the deadline for ideas is May 17th and if anyone has any thoughts on this and whether The LRM should get involved please do holler http://www.hazardmcr.org
And finally, on a more ongoing basis the gardening group at Platt Fields are looking for people who want to join with them to grow vegetables on a shared plot, no experience needed and a very warm welcome is promised http://www.plattfields.org
I hope something here appeals and you never get bored with our city; there is magick everywhere if you look hard enough
Much love
Morag x
PS I have re-entered the modern age: yes, I now have a working phone, tv and internet connection (fingers crossed) and can only apologise for all cross at my elusiveness when they were not working. Truthfully it was quite nice to be silent for a bit but now there are adventures to be had and contacts to be made. If you are new to loitering or just want some information or a chat please do feel free to call the once again hot hotline on 079 749 29589 or email loiter@hepzombie.co.uk I will also be striving to blog more now at www.nowhere-fest.blogspot.com but suspect the streets will continue to tempt me away from the screen
Friday, 30 April 2010
Monday, 12 April 2010
the secret manchester photo day results....
sorry for short notice (for once not my fault as I only just got this info) but this is whats happened to the photos we took on the exploration of secret manchester...
the launch event for the exhibition will take place at Salford Art Gallery (Ble Stairs Gallery) on Wednesday 14th April 2.45pm-4.25pm, directions to the venue available at http://www.salford.gov.uk/salfordmuseum-planning.htm. Family and friends are all welcome. The exhibition runs til 25th May
the launch event for the exhibition will take place at Salford Art Gallery (Ble Stairs Gallery) on Wednesday 14th April 2.45pm-4.25pm, directions to the venue available at http://www.salford.gov.uk/salfordmuseum-planning.htm. Family and friends are all welcome. The exhibition runs til 25th May
Thursday, 8 April 2010
dont forget
http://af-north.org/?q=anarcha-feminist
lots of inspiring people, ides and debates, all genders welcome xx
lots of inspiring people, ides and debates, all genders welcome xx
Thursday, 1 April 2010
PS
i forgot to mention this rather ace blog http://radicalmanchester.wordpress.com/ when alluding to radical history. bugger. more haste, less speed etc. also, next months May Day events will elaborate on the theme x
April first sunday - fools and diggers and dreamers and planters
Merry fools day one and all!
I trust you are spinning yarns and causing creative mischief; remember there is much wisdom in foolishness. Everyone is so busy I sometimes fear the art of play may vanish and so it is every loiterers sacred duty to make merry and enjoy the things that please us as long as it harm none. Smiling, walking, talking to strangers, taking things slowly – these activities should not be subversive. Truly the world turned upside down remains an idea to relish.
Today also marks an important anniversary; that of the Diggers occupying St George’s Hill and planting the land for the common good (Ok so 361 might not be an officially significant number of years to commemorate an event but our arbitrary obsession with certain numbers always strikes me as daft)
There is an oft repeated cliché that contains much truth (well, don’t they all) when it states we must learn from history or be condemned to repeat its mistakes. Lets also try and learn from its dreamers and wanderers and artists and visionaries; small, everyday triumphs that might not appear in official histories but echo through time if only we care to listen through the static. I wish I had been taught about the diggers in school. A favourite day dream of mine is to imagine if they had won and made the earth a common treasury for all…
Its another cliché but we need to say thank you more often. And we need to make sure we exercise the rights others fought for lest we loose them, including the freedom to roam and play and use the streets for more than shopping. We can, and will, go forth and explore and we should be able to do so without harassment, surveillance and random hecklers. There’s a Reclaim The Night march on April 23rd for those who want to make the point louder and with placards.
April 24 marks 76 years since another pivotal moment in the history of public space; namely the Kinder Trespass (and yes, once again we are partying a little later than everyone else but we think it deservers celebrating all the time) It still puzzles me why radical voices are so rare these days, why more people aren’t moved to action over injustice and why compassion needs to be justified so often. My every day experience is most people are good, and kind, and honest and full of far better ideas than the people in power.
Therefore this First Sunday, April 4th The LRM will doff our collective caps and salute all those who went before and have inspired us, whether we have met them or not. Please insert your own heroes name here ----------------- and if you like please send me an email telling me who inspired you and why. I’ll put it on the website if you wish too.
I’m thinking of my grandmother right now; her life didn’t have a grand metanarrative and she does not have a Wikipedia entry but she did a million kind things, taught me much (including a love of nature, how to look confident when you are scared and the secret to a perfect trifle) She also got me out of trouble countless times and its fair to say without her love, strength and idiosyncrasies there would be no LRM. I am just sad she never joined us on an expedition; she would have enchanted you I am sure. It would have been her birthday on Saturday (90th if you must know) It’s the first time I’ve not had a place to send a card to and I have been thinking of how to honour her memory.
The destination of this months derive is still a mystery – we can decide on the day depending on what we fancy doing – but its purpose is clear. We will not be dwelling on sadness and frustration but celebrating, remembering, plotting and well… planting seeds. Specifically native wild flower seeds. It will be rather more ramshackle and low key than last month’s barnstorming Hulme spectacular but all are welcome to join us.
We will be gathering at 2pm in The Britons Protection, Great Bridgewater Street and will set off soon afterwards. I do hope you can join us
Much love and foxgloves
Morag
PS blimey! a whole email without the word shenanigans xx
I trust you are spinning yarns and causing creative mischief; remember there is much wisdom in foolishness. Everyone is so busy I sometimes fear the art of play may vanish and so it is every loiterers sacred duty to make merry and enjoy the things that please us as long as it harm none. Smiling, walking, talking to strangers, taking things slowly – these activities should not be subversive. Truly the world turned upside down remains an idea to relish.
Today also marks an important anniversary; that of the Diggers occupying St George’s Hill and planting the land for the common good (Ok so 361 might not be an officially significant number of years to commemorate an event but our arbitrary obsession with certain numbers always strikes me as daft)
There is an oft repeated cliché that contains much truth (well, don’t they all) when it states we must learn from history or be condemned to repeat its mistakes. Lets also try and learn from its dreamers and wanderers and artists and visionaries; small, everyday triumphs that might not appear in official histories but echo through time if only we care to listen through the static. I wish I had been taught about the diggers in school. A favourite day dream of mine is to imagine if they had won and made the earth a common treasury for all…
Its another cliché but we need to say thank you more often. And we need to make sure we exercise the rights others fought for lest we loose them, including the freedom to roam and play and use the streets for more than shopping. We can, and will, go forth and explore and we should be able to do so without harassment, surveillance and random hecklers. There’s a Reclaim The Night march on April 23rd for those who want to make the point louder and with placards.
April 24 marks 76 years since another pivotal moment in the history of public space; namely the Kinder Trespass (and yes, once again we are partying a little later than everyone else but we think it deservers celebrating all the time) It still puzzles me why radical voices are so rare these days, why more people aren’t moved to action over injustice and why compassion needs to be justified so often. My every day experience is most people are good, and kind, and honest and full of far better ideas than the people in power.
Therefore this First Sunday, April 4th The LRM will doff our collective caps and salute all those who went before and have inspired us, whether we have met them or not. Please insert your own heroes name here ----------------- and if you like please send me an email telling me who inspired you and why. I’ll put it on the website if you wish too.
I’m thinking of my grandmother right now; her life didn’t have a grand metanarrative and she does not have a Wikipedia entry but she did a million kind things, taught me much (including a love of nature, how to look confident when you are scared and the secret to a perfect trifle) She also got me out of trouble countless times and its fair to say without her love, strength and idiosyncrasies there would be no LRM. I am just sad she never joined us on an expedition; she would have enchanted you I am sure. It would have been her birthday on Saturday (90th if you must know) It’s the first time I’ve not had a place to send a card to and I have been thinking of how to honour her memory.
The destination of this months derive is still a mystery – we can decide on the day depending on what we fancy doing – but its purpose is clear. We will not be dwelling on sadness and frustration but celebrating, remembering, plotting and well… planting seeds. Specifically native wild flower seeds. It will be rather more ramshackle and low key than last month’s barnstorming Hulme spectacular but all are welcome to join us.
We will be gathering at 2pm in The Britons Protection, Great Bridgewater Street and will set off soon afterwards. I do hope you can join us
Much love and foxgloves
Morag
PS blimey! a whole email without the word shenanigans xx
april genius is the new fool
doubts this will be bettered today http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973591&id=677497914 the revolution will be televised. very fine work indeed!
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