Thursday 15 December 2011

January's shenanigans

howdy folks
i've had a few enquiries from loiterers who have noticed januarys first sunday is, well, the first of january and so to clarify for all sorts of reasons our first sunday is shifting.

to make up for and inconvenience we have not one but two top notch events for your delight. The first ever LRM scavenger hunt will be happening on January 8th and on thursday january 26th we have a real treat. In conjunction with our friends at manchester modernist society and with a little help from steve millington at mmu we have arranged a screening of Bata-ville we are not afraid of the future.

The film night is free but tickets HAVE TO BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE to make sure there is enough room for everyone.

The link to do so is here http://bata-ville-manchester-esearch.eventbrite.com/?srnk=1 and I have to say i am very, very excited about this happening; i've been planning it for ages (well, since i fell in love with a beautiful but delapidated building in east tilbury and discovered it was part of one mans utopian vision to shoe the world)

More details of both events soon, i hope this clears up any confusion
love and tinsel
morag xx

Tuesday 13 December 2011

womens design group walk tomorrow

This week I am really pleased to be setting off on another expedition with Manchester Women's Design Group on a very sociable Night Walk Wednesday December 14th 6.30pm, meet in Picadilly Gardens, by Queen Victoria's Statue in between Lever Street and Oldham Street. The walk will last no longer than an hour and will finish at Albert Square around 7.30pm so we can get a hot drink to warm us up!...

We are going on a short walk around Manchester City Centre to identify places which women might not feel comfortable, and also places where they do feel comfortable. We are doing this at Night to highlight the difference between daytime uses of the city and the night time. We want to look at lighting, buildings' uses and the street design. During the walk we will add our thoughts on to a map, this will help develop ideas for how to make Manchester a more gender friendly city.

Friday 2 December 2011

December Activity

It's the always inspiring Anarchist Bookfair Saturday 3rd December (TOMORROW) at a new venue - The People's History Museum. Loads of good stuff going on http://www.underthepavement.org/bookfair/

Here's what we'll be up to: 4pm meet inside the main entrance to PHM "change life! change society! these precepts mean nothing without the production of an appropriate space" lefebvre A stroll around spinningfields looking at issues around power..., surveillance, public/private space and the construction of the neo-liberal city. How is the city designed to control and limit is and how can we resist this through" the revolution of every day life."?

Sunday is of course Decembers First Sunday; it's going to be one of our more random and whimsical game playing expeditions so don't come expecting Facts. We'll be meeting 2pm at The Britons Protection, Great Bridegewater Street and we'll be setting off by 2.20 (given the nature of this derive i have no idea where we'll end up)

Everyone is welcome to join us

glittery love
Morag xx

Friday 4 November 2011

November's First Sunday

what is psychogeography? find out what it means to The LRM this sunday, 6th November 2pm at the rather wonderful OK café. We’ll be having a friendly blether about disorienteering, the Situationist legacy, public/ private space, walking as radical practice and the idea of loitering as a way to reclaim the city for fun instead of shopping etc and after the talking we will go for some sort of walk. Everyone is welcome and we hope to offer you a view of the city that will surprise & delight how to find the rather wonderful OK cafe http://okcafe.wordpress.com/ please come and play out on the streets with us xx

Friday 30 September 2011

Octobers First Sunday

The LRM, in collaboration with The Mule, present "The architecture of fear" a wander exploring how the city is designed to make us scared.

We'll be asking questions about risk, barriers, crime, defense and trust in the shadow of the ring of s...teelStarts promptly 10am Sunday 2nd (so folk can get involved in the many fine welcoming events for the tory conference: some loiterers will be joining the TUC march and Occupy Manchester so please stay with us for the duration of the day if you wish)

I realise the early morning may be an issue so the tour will be repeated - in slightly longer, slightly darker, ending in pub for debate manner on Tuesday 4th October 7pm, Meet outside the cornerhouse both days.

All welcome, and of course the fun is free. Don't be scared, come and play - the streets belong to us all xxx

Friday 26 August 2011

Septembers action: music, merriment and hating to love machester

My dear lovers, loiterers, flaneurs, fairies, scoundrels and unclassifiable others

I hope this email finds you in good spirits despite the times. I should know better than to let it get to me but I am feeling sad and angry that I write this on “I love Manchester” Day. As you know loiterers love Manchester passionately EVERY day and I don’t want to be snarky but our home deserves better placemakers than profit making corporations pretending to care; those big red hearts are callous and want your cash, not your cuddles.

The LRM believe shopping is boring; I can think of a million more fun things to do on the streets than consume and a million better and fairer ways to spend cash than on marketing. Surely materialism, advertisements and capitalism are problems not solutions? We can't buy our way to a fairer, more equal place. We undeniably have a lot of problems to deal with but how can shopping tackle inequality? This gorgeous city is too diverse to be encapsulated in a throwaway logo that excludes so many; Manchester is a glorious mess that we should all work to turn into the city of our multiple dreams and not a shiny, shallow brand
To take an alternative view from the narrowminded marketing hype, and to meet some of the most interesting and open minded folk it is my honour to take a stroll with, please come and join The LRM on one of our derives; we will show you the city in a different light. We can’t promise answers but you can be assured of many new questions… All our expeditions on the streets are free (of course; it’s a public space and belongs to us all). Anyone and everyone is welcome.

Drinking in the City September's First Sunday is the first of our collaborations with Manchester Mule. This tour looks at the impact of alcohol on the streets, telling tales of Manchester's lost pubs, prohibition, moral panics, class struggles, casualties, criminals, romantic liaisons and comedy encounters facilitated by booze. It’s no secret I am fascinated by pubs there is a darker side to the romance. Although the walk will be dry it will end in a pub, of course! Starts Sunday September 2nd, 2pm at Piccadilly Gardens. We are looking for memories, myths, anecdotes and facts about your experience of Manchester’s pubs, past and present. These will be woven into the walk so please get in touch if you would like to contribute; we will reward you with a beverage of your choice.

October’s walk will also be a wander with The Mule, focusing on security, freedom fear and fun. We will be exploring what makes us feel safe; what features have been designed into the city to keep us secure and whether the price we pay for this is too high - what are the real threats to Manchester and what limits should be set on freedom? This feels more timely than ever; we need to remember the streets belong to us all and we can make of them what we wish.

Also in September will be a remapped version of The Manchester Modernist Heroines Tour; our ten inspiring women and their secret histories will be transposed to Platt Fields and Rusholme as part of the DIY Feminist Festival. The whole weekend sounds excellent and we are very proud to supporting it https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=142096775871204 The Modernist Heroines project, The LRM’s partnership with Manchester Modernist Society and Shrieking Violet fanzine can be found here http://www.heroines.manchestermodernistsociety.org/#home

Finally, and rather unpsycho-geographically I’d like to invite you to what promises to be a very special gig. At times like these music, fun and comradeship seems to matter more than ever. I am delighted one of my favourite songwriters Chris Mills from Brooklyn is making a rare visit to Manchester to play an intimate show celebrating ten years of splendid songs at The Britons Protection on Friday September 9th. Support comes from the always excellent Liam Dullaghan and Quiet Loner. There will also be free cake and random delights as you would expect from The LRM. Tickets are just £5 in advance from https://www.wegottickets.com/event/128109 or direct from me if you want to avoid a booking fee – all the money goes to the artists so they can afford to go home! I do hope lots of loiterers will be able to join us as those that have done so before will vouch for the quality of our occasional forays into the entertainment world

With love and golden apples
Morag x

PS My apologies for the erratic nature of LRM updates in recent months, I shan’t bore you with the details but I have been a tad poorly. Everything is shipshape again now and hopefully the closest we ever get to normal service is now resumed. If you do ever have any questions, comments or ideas for The LRM please do feel free to get in touch; the email address is loiter@hepzombie, twitter is @thelrm or you can call our hotline on 07974929589. That’s also the best way to get hold of advance tickets for the Chris Mills gig

Thursday 18 August 2011

drinking in the city and a rare musical treat




Drinking in the City


Septembers First Sunday is a collaboration with Manchester Mule. This tour looks at the impact of alcohol on the streets, telling tales of Manchester's lost pubs, prohibition, moral panics, class struggles, casualties, criminals, romantic liaisons, famous raconteurs and comedy encounters facilitated by booze. Will end in a pub, of course! Starts Sunday September 2nd, 2pm at Piccadilly Gardens


We are looking for memories, myths, anecdotes and facts about your experience of Manchester’s pubs, past and present. These will be woven into the walk so please get in touch if you would like to contribute


Chris Mills Live at The Britons Protection Friday 9th September






Ok, this isn’t psychogeographic but it will be wonderful and I do hope lots of Loiterers can come; those who have been to previous gigs will know they are always very special.



I'm really excited as the wonderful Chris Mills from Brooklyn will be making a rare visit to Manchester to play an intimate show celebrating ten years of splendid songs. Support comes from the always excellent Liam Dullaghan and Quiet Loner. There will also be free cake and random delights as you would expect from The LRM. Tickets are just £5 in advance from https://www.wegottickets.com/event/128109 or contact me to avoid a booking fee







Press Quotes
"His hidden elegance lies in the twist of lovesick metaphor, the wistful chord, the revisionist take on the slamming door” –NME
“ Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’ is a gem of pop grandeur that showcases Mills’ emotional vocal delivery.” – Chicago Sun Times
“ Over the last few years (Mills) has quietly assembled an immensely impressive catalogue. His songs are literate, funny and endearingly hang dog …. . ” - The Independent, UK
“… an artist finally, fully realizing his remarkable talents as a singer, songwriter and performer.” –No Depression

Thursday 30 June 2011

Forthcoming Events


Ahoy there my lovelies


The LRM will be setting sail to magical lands this Sunday - July 3rd - as it's first Sunday of course. That's no surprise (although our destination will be). One of the things I love about The LRM is the way it ebbs and flows; people free to come and go and still being a treasured part of the collective.


In an unprecedented move due to popular demand (a phrase I have never, ever been able truthfully to type before) I have done a wee bit of forward planning and can publish our first ever events diary. It also features another first; a repeat of a previous expedition due to the amazing response to our modernist heroines tour.


July's First Sunday Derive - one of our regular explorations of the city, playing out on the street and looking at Manchester in a different way. This month we will be focusing on music, sound and memory. This Sunday, July 3rd 3pm meeting at the memorial tree in Piccadilly Gardens. (Don't forget the awesome ancoats peeps tours happening all weekend too)



Manchester Modernist Heroines - this walk celebrates the stories of ten inspiration women who shaped the 20th century city but whose achievements are overlooked by the history books. Saturday July 23rd 2pm; unlike our other events this one is ticketed so please book your ticket here http://manchesterheroines2.eventbrite.com/ If its full please register anyway or leave a comment so I can gauge the appetite for another walk. This is a repeat of the previous event which is - thrillingly and- back by popular demand. Part of an ongoing project with our friends at http://www.manchestermodernistsociety.org.uk%20and/and http://www.shriekingviolets.blogspot.com/ where you can download a copy of the accompanying 'zine which collates work from a range of contributors


Drinking in the City - this tour looks at the impact of alchohol on the streets, telling tales of Manchester's lost pubs, prohibition, moral panics, class struggles, romantic liasions, famous raconteurs and comedy encounters facilitated by booze. Will end in a pub, of course! Starts Sunday September 2nd, 2pm at Piccadilly Gardens

Chris Mills - hooray! one of our very favourite musicians is back in manchester for a very special gig. With special guests and copious amounts of cake. September 9th at The Britons Protection tickets £5


Security, Freedom and Fun - this walk will focus on what makes us feel safe; what features have been designed into the city to keep us secure and whether the price we pay for this is too high - what are the real threats to Manchester and what limits should be set on freedom? October Sunday 2nd, time tbc


The September and October events are a collaboration with the rather wonderful Manchester Mule www.manchestermule.com



I hope to see you playing on the streets with us, everyone is welcome and all our walks are free (how could we put a price on wandering the streets?)





For more details please email loiter@hepzombie.co.uk or follow us on twitter @thelrm



Love and golden apples



Morag xx



ps pictures used are mostly random snaps from my wanderings

Wednesday 29 June 2011

archive #3 what is psychogeography




This is the introduction to Where are You? Manchesters First Accidental International Festival of Psychogeography. I've resisted the urge to edit or amend....

View subject to change but this is what we can see now. It’s a few hours before the festival starts so please excuse our poor grammar and giddy bewilderment

When I first heard the word psychogeography I had a wonderful turnaround moment of clarity, a little epiphany. It encompasses lots of things I’m fascinated by but I still find the best way to explain it to you is with a picture.

Names have such power – they give life and strength and meaning although that’s something different to everybody of course. But they limit too and it’s the same with maps – its hard not to be seduced by boundaries, Perhaps I like making maps because I’m useless at following them, A straight a-z misses out all the splendid wonkiness of life.

If you asked 20 people to draw a map of the basement they would all make something different and I bet none of them would resemble the ordinance survey or a fire plan.I’ve always loved aimless wandering and exploring, my favourite pastimes include catching random trains and finding secret passages across town and (best of all) watching urban wildlife… but hey! I’m not just an idler, I’m a flaneur and this is a derive… disorientation as experiment, play as an artistic statement…

The Loiterers Resistance Movement is about this and more. We got our name from Phaedra who was lamenting the lack of uncommercial public space in Manchester; she said having fun in Brisbane gives you a suntan but in Manchester all you get is as ASBO.

Sometimes it feels like its all about money and power in our post bomb nirvana. Every space has an advert on it and why is Canal Street the way it is? Why aren’t there any nurseries or greengrocers or haberdashers in the village? Who made gay a business opportunity? How does that make you feel and what if it’s meant to be your space but you don’t feel welcome?

But there’s still magick too if you want to find it.Did you know the grass mounds by Urbis are designed to make you want to play – but are deliberately to small to hide behind? I like that bit of town, all the kids making it their own territory. Legend has it there’s a medieval street somewhere underneath the triangle – its where the great Elizabethan alchemist John Dee lived when he was sort of banished to Manchester. I imagine his ghost finds the museums shiny glass surface an excellent scrying stone. (You can see the arse mark of a devil conjured by Mr Dee on a chair in Chethams but that is another story)

Anyway, I was thinking about all this on Sunday. We were taking pictures for the launch night quiz. The autumn light was glorious, everything was glowing and a friend and I were rushing about showing each other favourite haunts before the sun set… I’d love to tell you what we saw but then you’ll know all the answers and the quiz will be no fun… there’s some great prizes by the way, all treasure I’ve found on the city’s pavement… its amazing what you can find when you’re looking but I really ought to stop. Too much stuff is suffocating.

We walked home through the park, eating falafel and laughing at how beautiful it was and how peaceful – mostly because everyone’s too scared to go there at night. I would be too if I was on my own (that’s another map I want to draw, a collaborative one about street harassment but I can’t quite figure out how to make it work, what do you think?)

It felt like the only place in town the modern panoptican couldn’t see us – cameras everywhere these days and don’t get me started about the beetham tower, there’s not room. We discovered new constellations amongst the stars whilst a fox watched us trespass on his land. Back on the street halogen glowed and litter blew around us as we passed the old factory and a roadside shrine. There was some barbed wire on the kerb – a morag trap – I fell and cut my leg.

As above, so below

I hope you like the exhibition (mmm.maps are sexy) and enjoy the accidental festival. It should evolve over time, there’s some great work coming to us soon from 56a via Italy that I’m very excited about, plus reports from the various expeditions and explorations. Please add your own embellishments, stories, maps and musings.

The LRM are planning further actions and some point soon we might even publish our manifesto.Its central tenet will probably be that we like flowers growing out of the side of buildings and yuppification makes us sad.

Glittery love and golden apples

The Loiterers Resistance Movement, December 2006 xxx

funny but in some ways i feel we've travelled so far but in a different light it's all still the same.

archive #6 what is a derive?


Dear friends, lovers and loiterers

I hope you are keeping warm, positive and open minded in the current challenging conditions. Apologies this email is out of sync with First Sunday but there a few things I wanted to share

Recently I have been questioning the relevance of the derive and been fearful it has become commodified and recuperated by so many that as a tactic is has become meaningless . When the dark times are upon us how can walking help? Have we become nothing more than social ramblers? It is true the term has been misinterpreted, misused and devalued by some utter tosh, much of if very expensive and flashy.

I was feeling sad about this but then, of course, i went for a wander and felt again the rush of excitement at an unexpected view, a serendipitous collision with the path of a friend and then I paused to hear the whispers beneath the roar of Christmas shopping.

Yes! The derive is still a relevant and beautiful tactic but it must be only one of many if we are to create our fantasy city. David Wilkinson made me cheer when he wrote to me “we are never too late, recuperation is never total or infinite. History is a process – (it was said) history was over, capitalism was smooth and efficient and people had forgotten how to fight back, And look where we are now! Student occupations and Len McCluskey make me do silly happy dances. There’s lots of places you can stand within a fundamentally contradictory society, both metaphorically and physically”

Psychogeography is an evolving and rich tradition; it has changed over time and will doubtless change again. The Situationist Internationale still holds an abiding fascination for me. Of course their true power is contested and accessibility, openness and co-operation (which The LRMN strive for) were perhaps not their strongest points. However their echoes resonate, perhaps now stronger than ever with student occupations, the return of the Okasional Café to Manchester (hooray) and roving protests disrupting the spectacle of christmas consumption whist striving to avoid kettles – such protests are nothing if not psychogeographic albeit on an unconscious level amongst the participants.

Possibly my favourite SI work deals with what, for me, is key to true social change – the integration of ideas into a "Revolution of Everyday Life" where everything we do is meaningful; a separate activist class is as damaging as being ruled by a cabinet of millionaires. “People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of constraints, such people have a corpse in their mouths” Raoul Vaneigem.

One of the most elegant descriptions of the derive I have found is by Greil Marcus who says “The point (is) to encounter the unknown as a facet of the known, astonishment on the terrain of boredom, innocence in the face of experience. ..the physical town replaced by an imaginary city” He is clearly a wise man, and not just because he has also eulogised the best (well, my favourite) band in the world

Builing on this The LRM have identified 5 key characteristics that derives have that make them different to a commute or suchlike.

1 It should be spontaneous, directionless, aimless (obviously sometimes we have interpreted this flexibly or we would miss the story telling bit at the end… but we never know how we will get from a to b…we follow the flow and are open to digression, diversion and serendipity)

2 Loitering with us is participatory and everyone has a collective responsibility to look after themselves and each other . It would be disingenuous to say we are non hierarchical but we are open to everyone and anyone can become involved, we are always up for collaboration and will never claim to be offering a definitive version of the city (how could we?)

3 Our walks are non commercial; no one makes a monetary profit. We will never charge because the streets are free and belong to everyone.

4 And yes, this may contradict point one a little bit but so what? We aim to disrupt the banal and find new views; to glimpse the magick in the Mancunian rain and the parallel universes swirling around the city. We want to see remarkable sights and with the right frame of mind we can do so frequently

5 First Sundays are for fun and we want to bring pleasure and convivial company. Stop if you are not happy (some walks of course investigate uncanny or dark atmospheres but still should be a positive experience)

I am not idealistic enough to think this is all it takes to change the world but I do believe loitering makes a contribution on the side of good. I must also stress it is a state of mind and you don’t need the LRM to show you how to derive, we don’t know any more than you do - many of us disagree with much of the above - and in fact actually the most wonderful walks are often solitary.

I should also clarify there is a warm place in my heart for expeditions such as guided walks, especially those borne of passion that tell new stories about the streets, complicate official narratives and help us look afresh at the mundane. For examples of inspiring walks like this just think about Manchester modernist society walking the Mancunian way or Steve Millington reconnecting with Hulme. (there are others too of course)

If you have read this far I am grateful and I also want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped make this such a splendid year for The LRM whether by joining us on the streets or sending virtual inspiration. I wish you all a glorious solstice and whatever you wish the festive season to be.

First Sundays carry on regardless of Yuletide, and I wanted to confirm we will be gathering on January 2nd – more details to follow. we will as ever be marking seasonal changes and abandoning the official path to create new desire lines across the city.

With love and light
Morag xx

PS I just got this email from a first time loiterer who joined after Alan and I spoke to the uni philospophy society about psychogeography ( a talk we hope to reprise for a general audience some time soon) “We had an amazing time. We found a hundred hidden delights and realised that half an hour later we were still only really just behind the pub” above all the derive is an action, a practice, not just a theory so please do come and join us next year

archive #5 diggers, dreamers, fools


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

archive # 4 new years resolutions

How can we, as citizens, influence the development of our city and create space for art, creativity and conversation? There are other battles being fought for public space to at the moment; loiterers are active in campaigning over Birley Fields, Chorlton Meadows, Swallows Wood, Woodbank Park and more so that is more than a rhetorical question.

I have never been one for New Year’s resolutions and the LRM operates on our own time scale but it feels like the right time to reiterate some of what we stand for, in 2010 and beyond the LRM pledges to
• Stay interesting and resist the grind of commercialisation and recouperation
• Keep finding new ways of looking at the city and collecting the myriad mysteries it holds – there is not one Manchester but many layers…
• Remember the streets are ours for play, fun and creative mischief
• To offer anyone with an open mind a chance to wander with us in an atmosphere of tolerance, discovery and respect for all

We shall carry on building the city of our dreams with every step and finding treasure in the Mancunian rain – please join us for a walk and a brew; you never know where it might lead….

Love and power to you

Morag xx

Archive #2 the metaphysical treasure hunt


It feels a little wrong to have a favourite first sunday but the metaphysical treasure hunt was surely one of the most fun and insightful i can recall. A report will appear sometime soon but in the meantime here are the instructions so you can play it yourselves (pictures are some amusing signs I've seen recently and not related to the text)
Thanks to Alan for collating, and indeed creating most of, the clues. He truly is a loiterer of distinction
[Image]Ask someone not playing the game to print off the instructions, cut them into separate strips, fold them and put them in an envelope.

Make groups of no more than 5 or 6 people.

There are 20 instructions in your envelope – take them out one at a time over the next 2 hours – some of the instructions will take 10 minutes to complete, others can go on for the rest of the walk. You don’t have to complete one instruction before you pick another – it’s good to combine them.
The instructions are open to interpretation – be creative, have fun and play
[Image]UMBRA(GE)
Follow your shadow – if you don’t have a shadow try to find some

MEMORIALS
Cities mark their history in stone – once the names have been carved they are rarely heard again. Find a memorial and read aloud the silent words and names.

ROADWORKS
Find a hole in [Image]the ground – instead of thinking of it as an inconvenience, look at it as an impromptu open-air exhibition or archaeological dig.

SIMULACRA
Unintended images are everywhere. Look out for simulacra, they are eruptions of secret history. They mean things...

CIRCUIT
Walk between two arbitrary points or around a block for the next 10 minutes – note what you discover on each circuit. Walk until the streets themselves are taking you for a walk.

NO U-TURN
Find a way to get to where you want to go by walking in the opposite direction.

DANGER
Push to the edge of your comfort zone. Notice, if you reach it, the point at which you no longer feel safe. Then take one more step...

DAY OF THE DEAD
The streets are filled with zombies. Move through the crowds without giving yourself away. Observe the dead and their places covertly. Make sure you always have an escape route. Survive by moving.

NATURE WALK
Look for the non-human. Maps drawn by snails. Birds nesting in alcoves. Spiders decorating windows. Trees on rooftops...

ON REFLECTION
Use the big plate glass windows of your city as cinema screens. Watch them like a movie-goer. Or be a director and call the shots.

EDGES
Identify and explore edges, where one place becomes another. Travel along a boundary – if you think it’s safe enough, leap across it. Are the edges clear cut? Or are there transitional zones? Enjoy the blurred liminal territories.

THE HEART OF THE CITY
Ask as many people as possible for directions to the heart of the city. Keep asking...

PUBLIC/PRIVATE
Fin somewhere to be private in a public space.

WINDOW ART
For this week only there is a citywide exhibition of art displays in the windows of the city’s homes. How many can you find?

READ THE CITY
The pavements and streets are a book. Look for the writing on the city – on posters, on rubbish, on graffiti, on manhole covers, on bins, on drains, on street furniture. Use this to guide your drift and rename the streets.

STOP!
Stand still, stay exactly where you are for the next 10 minutes and watch the human traffic ebb and flow around your island of calm.

QUIET!
For the next 10 minutes do not speak or use any sign language. Observe how the dynamics of the group affect the drift when you don’t communicate verbally.

DID YOU JUST HEAR THAT?
Follow your ears – let the sounds around you guide your drift. Hunt for places of quiet or noise – listen out for accidental music and the mutterings of the ghosts under the pavements...

SAFARI
You are now on the hunt – track down as many lions, horses, elephants and ducks as you can find.

EVEN A STOPPED CLOCK TELLS THE RIGHT TIME TWICE A DAY
Look out for clocks on buildings and in windows. How does the city run like clockwork? How does time affect the use and meaning of a place?

from the archives #1 solo loitering

welcome to new readers, I am so delighted you have stumbled across The LRM. I'm rather sad I haven't had time to sort the place out properly i hope you will forgive the next few posts which are basically highlights from the archive

solstice communique from the LRM 2007

The LRM recently thought about celebrating our first birthday but we decided to build a space rocket and play our melodica instead.

It didn't feel like a birthday because we're still not quite sure we exist. But it's a year since the Accidental International Festival of Psychogeography, which is when we were given a name and started the first Sunday shenanigans (how long does something have to go on before it's a tradition?)

Our manifesto is disgracefully over due; we keep getting distracted by the beauty of flowers growing out of the side of buildings and the tragedy of commercialisation. It will appear one day, when you least expect it, but generally we like chaos more than rules.

We are becoming afraid that some people think psychogoegraphy is just for first Sundays or special occasions and one must be taught how to drift or heed expert directions. This is anathema to the LRM. the greatest derives are spontaneous and often solo; there is joy in comraderie but the true flaneur is content to drift alone.

Don't listen to us! We like DIY (but we're scared of power tools) and we never, ever want people to think we are custodians of some secret knowledge.

Symbols, maps and anniversaries matter because we invest them with power. The solstices have always been an important time for the LRM; we like to melt time and blur the boundaries between the worlds of myth and materialism. Last year we collaborated with The Shaping to dematerialise the gruesome Beetham Tower which for us represents much that is rotten within our glorious city but we won't dwell on past glories.

This solstice practicalities mean many LRM collaborators are spreading magick and mischief outside Mancunia but still we wanted to join together to celebrate both the sacred and profane so we politely ask you, whoever, whatever and wherever you are, to join us in a great experiment and help answer the eternal question 'but what is psychogeography?'

We invite you to play a game with us at a time and place of your choosing on 22nd December 2007.

These are the rules for you to ignore:

1 Stop what you're doing and tap your heels together. Spin around if you feel like it. (the LRM accept no liability for any accidents that may occur due to over zealous spinning so please take care)

2 Head off in whichever direction takes your fancy and wander at will until you want to stop.

3 As you traverse, aim to discover something new and marvellous and look for something you have never seen, felt or listened to before (we bet there will be something)

4 Repeat as desired at intervals through out the day 5 Or don't. If you think this is pointless you may be right. But we think it will be fun and we can create something beautiful from it.

6 If you do have a solstice adventure please send us a few notes, observations, random words or pictures. We will weave them together into a virtual derive, and thus create a psychogeographical dot-to-dot linking freelance flanauers into a unique and amazing work of art (trust us, we will)

Friends and comrades, this Solstice reclaim your footsteps, invent your environment and discover your own psychogeography.

We don't know what it is.

With glittery love and golden apples fromThe Loiterers Resistance Movement

PS The LRM would like to thank everyone who has inspired, frustrated, bumped into, walked, talked and raised a glass with us this year, whether you consider yourself a loiterer or not. You have changed our course and bought new ideas, joy and mischief. We thank you all whole heartedly for this and hope to get lost with you again in the new year

Thursday 16 June 2011

Hello everyone

Massive apologies for the shabby state of the blog - normal service will be resumed soon - but just had a couple of things to share.

The Manchester Modernist Heroines walk is being reprised as part of the RIBA Architecture Festival, it's next Saturday - 25th June - and of course it is free but places are limited so please book here http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1815555375 No ticket is needed if you just want to join the discussion at 4pm(ish)

Also, there's an article about The LRM in this months Red Pepper Magazine, a version of which also appears here in The Mule. http://manchestermule.com/article/when-are-we

love and solidarity
Morag x

Saturday 30 April 2011

may day, may day

hello my lovelies
massive apologies for the lateness and brevity of this email, some rather exciting news coming very soon but first i hope it is not too late for you to join us for a wander around the many resonances of may day. As our lovely friend and loiterer of distinction marie said its the time of year to celebrate workers solidarity and ducklings; two very splendid and important phenomena, and so we shall be doing just that.

we'll be meeting 3pm tomorrow (May 1st) at the britons protection pub great bridgewater street. all welcome (there should be time for the modernist mile first if you want to make a day of it) also if you can please do go and support the very wonderful OK cafe in castlefield while you can

glittery love
morag x

Saturday 2 April 2011

April's First Sunday: It's smoking

Dear friends, flaneurs and freedom fighters

April's First Sunday is nigh – my apologies for late notification of this months shenanigans. I have been distracted by the heady combination of daffodils and demonstrations. I love Spring; it's my favourite time of year. I feel the blossoms have been especially glorious this year; bright little beacons of resistance and joy to help us defeat the darkness that seems to be descending.

We must all, in our own ways, keep fighting boredom and heartlessness and cruelty. Playing out on the streets should not be subversive; it upsets me a little it is but I do hope in our own small way we challenge the notion money is all that matters. Many amazing people contribute to the lrm and are involved in personal,political and professional struggles for justice and peace: love and solidarity to you all and if we can help please ask.

This month, partly as a response to the heaviness in the air we are embarking on a wispy, whimsical and somewhat abstract walk. We will all be looking up, to study the skyline and read smoke signals. Our focus will be on chimneys and fresh air and how the atmosphere of Manchester has evolved.

During the Industrial Revolution the sun was seldom seen; the city was shrouded in smog and the skyline dominated by an array of chimneys belching forth fumes. Now we live somewhere little is made except noise and tobacco is so vilified it has been banished by much of polite society. How did we get there from here?

Chimneys are our starting point then; we will be commemorating those long gone, celebrating outstanding survivors and imagining what they may look like in the future. We will also, as we are prone to do, explore yesterdays utopia that never materialised; in this case the audacious meta-chimney of which Alan has splendid tales to tell.

The nature of the derive means digression and tangential explorations too; expect debate on civil liberties, public health, clean air, the nature of work, class and capitalism. What resonances do the mills have on our lives today, how does work influence our identity; and what rights do we have to a safe environment, self destruction and freedom on the streets? These questions are horribly relevant now when so many of us feel threatened and insecure in our labour.

Many loiterers (myself included) have a secret admiration for the art of pipe smoking; doubtless Bob Dobbs will be with us tomorrow in spirit if not in person. Bonus points will be awarded in recognition of the most crass phallic symbolism, best double entendre and most ridiculous comment about chem trails.

Please join us if you can, but be warned this is a random adventure not a heritage trail – we really don't know where it will lead although we can promise conviviality and a view of the city you probably won't have seen before.

We will be meeting tomorrow, April 3rd at Fringe Bar, Swan Street (opposite Band on The Wall) at 2pm. All welcome, if you need any more information please feel free to call/ text 07974929589

Finally, in case you haven't seen this here is a retweet from Manchester Libraries: this is a truly splendid website (although proceed with caution if you have any work to do) "Map mania! Compare old street maps of Manchester from 1772-2010 on the Historical Maps beta web sitehttp://ow.ly/4nAH4"

With love and bluebells

Morag x


Friday 1 April 2011

april first sunday

we'll be meeting 2pm at the fringe bar for a rather wispy, abstract walk this sunday april 3rd - more details soon (yes, i know i'm cutting it fine this month, sorry xx)

Sunday 13 March 2011

WAAAH! save the trees in whalley range

On Monday the council are returning to Whalley Range to start the cull of healthy and much loved trees. There is a gathering outside the tescos on whalley range/ dudley road to challenge the chainsaws, meeting 10am tomorrow morning (14th March) I live in whalley range and the trees give much of the character to the neighbourhood as well as providing havens of biodiversity in the city. The reasons for the massacre seem spurious at best, and actually the closer you look (and the more you consider current budget issues) damn illogical. It's yet another example of crap community consultation. Sadly i am down south at the moment but much love and power to all those doing something - please join them if you can xx

The following is from the campaign group (sorry this wasnt clear before hence my editing, as usual i'm in a rush) xx

On March 7th 2011 a brave local resident faced and blocked the Manchester City Council's chainsaw contractors (short filmhttp://vimeo.com/20840682). While elsewhere another resident challenged why another half grown apparently healthy tree was being cut down. The tree had its crown removed and another tree with no obvious sign of decay lost several branches before contractors called in David Davidson the councils green space manager.

A face-to-face stand off with the resident followed and the resident reported climbing on a second contractor’s truck to prevent further cutting. "I don't usually do this sort of thing the resident said, but hearing the chainsaw I had to do something". A subsequent phone call to the MP Sir Gerald Kaufman generated a call to the council to halt work and send the contractors and there trucks home.

Both residents are part of the Whalley Range Tree Group a large group of concerned residents, that has been petitioning and dialoguing with the council for months to get a mutually agreed plan. They see the action as highly out of line with a democratic process that is still in process to find an agreeable way forward. Regretfully, despite additional representation, Sir Gerald Kaufman has advised residents that the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council is insisting that the Council will go ahead with the tree cuttings on Monday of next week.

The concerned local residents do not feel the council has addressed their specific concerns for more detailed scientific proof to warrant cutting of the individual trees targeted by the council which create a special natural environment in their local community of Manchester. "I don't understand what all the rush is about to cut these trees" said another local resident who lives next to the tree that survived Mondays incidents.

The last 2 mins of the film summarise the Whalley Range Tree Group request- who they are, their concerns regarding the proposed timescale and rate of felling and replacement of 473 trees (half the Whalley Range Tree stock) and their request to the Manchester City Council to delay the felling for one year to allow time to develop a mutually acceptable plan which meets the needs of Council and residents alike.




Thursday 3 March 2011

This Sunday: modernist heroines and more

Dear loiterers of all genders and none

March’s First Sunday see’s two really special walks coinciding with the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. This is an event I have tended to avoid for a variety of reasons but I have been lured out of my ambivalence by these irresistible ideas which I am really proud to be involved in.

My apologies for simply cutting and pasting text you may have already recieved this week by other means, I have been plagued by technical issues. Expect a more personal rant from me on why feminism matters more than ever to appear on the blog very soon.

The Modernist Heroines Project,
Sunday March 6 at Manchester Town Hall,
Venue - Women of Achievement Room, 1-4pm, LRM walk 3-5pm (meet at the MMS stall)

Manchester Modernist Society, The LRM (Loiterers Resistance Movement) and The Shrieking Violet Zine have teamed up for a collaborative project exploring the stories of ten fabulous North West women spanning the fields of invention, aviation, media, science, design and architecture throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty first. Manchester’s Feminist history did not stop with the Suffragettes!

Join us for an afternoon exploring 'Manchester's Modernist Heroines’, launching a special edition of the Shrieking Violet fanzine, a collection of essays, interviews, artworks and links to events which aim to commemorate their achievements, uncover many more via your own favourites, and who knows – inspire some Heroines of tomorrow.

At 3pm The LRM will be curating a walk inspired by the work of our Modernist Heroine, Professor Doreen Massey. We will focus on flow, energy, gender and why we love exploring space. Our wander will uncover some of the hidden histories and power relationships which have shaped the city; Manchester is made up of myriad stories and we will tell some about our marvellous modernist heroines that are absent from the official narrative.

Find out more – and download a copy of the zine from Sunday onwards – by visiting: Manchester Modernist Society http://www.manchestermodernistsociety.org/ or
The Shrieking Violet http://theshriekingviolets.blogspot.com/

This is the start of an ongoing project; please tell us about your heroines - pop along on the day or add your favourite 20th or 21st century female to our webpage, coming very soon.
At 12noon, also leaving from the Town Hall, there will be another collaborative walk, this one between collaboration the Manchester Women´s Design Group and the Loiterers Resistance Movement;

This leisurely stroll will be guided by the results of emotion mapping by Manchester Women’s Design Group; this focuses on architecture, access and the way women feel about the city as well as the stories of women who have had an impact on the city http://womensdesign.blogspot.com/

During 2010, Manchester Women´s Design Group carried out research to explore how women react emotionally to urban spaces. These maps have highlighted spaces in the city centre which women love as they feel happy, relaxed, contented, and proud, as well as feared spaces that women say make them feel worried, anxious, angry and confused. This walk is a continuation of our process of research, analysis and evaluation, in which we invite you to participate.

I really hope to see you Sunday

Love and rage
Morag x

Wednesday 2 February 2011

february delights: blackburn and dumplington ahoy

Dear friends, flaneurs, fantasies and fairies

Welcome to February, I hope you are fine and dandy. I am delighted to spot early signs of Spring…no daffodils yet of course but my heart leaps at the first snowdrops…and the wider changes heralded by people realising their power and reclaiming streets around the world.
Remarkably I think this weekend is the fourth birthday of First Sundays, although dates don't really matter this gives me a warm glow and an excuse for a beer. Heartfelt thanks, as ever, to all who contribute to our derives and those who join us in imagination if not in person. We will be celebrating by setting off in new, and contradictory directions; facing fear (and possibly ridicule, but as we know that’s nothing to be scared of) as we explore territories as yet unmapped by The LRM. Here be dragons? Maybe; we like to encounter mythological phenomena….

This Saturday, February 5th, please join us in Blackburn. It’s your last chance to see Jane Samuels wondrous abandoned shop of curiosities, an instillation exploring urban exploration, mundane hauntings and the places lurking at the edge of reason. The shop has hosted several LRM workshops focusing on people’s memories, feelings and personal maps of Blackburn.

We have collected a plethora of fascinating stories and The LRM are curating a tour based on what we have learnt. From loombreaking, to acid house via contraband bikinis and public art it offers a beguilling mix of personal histories, social context and entertainment. Plus, fans of twentieth century architecture should note Blackburn’s 1960s market is due for demolition soon so this is a final opportunity to revel in its faded glories.

The shop is at LET Shop, 65 King William St, opposite the town hall, about 15minutes from the station (there are hourly trains from Victoria and regular buses from North Manchester. The tour will start at 2pm. Many thanks to Jane, the LETS project and everyone who has generously shared their thoughts with us. More information here: http://www.milliondollaryack.com/GhostStations/

On Sunday 6th we are setting off on an expedition to The Trafford Centre. We have always avoided shopping areas, preferring back alleys and canal sides where we are free of the relentless consumer bombardment – and yet, this is a little remiss if we want to see all sides of our city.

The Dumplington Mecca is one of the north west’s top attractions and is sure to yield some secrets up to those who look. Will we encounter a palace of delights or a den of inequity? Is there anything authentic or liminal to be discovered beneath its bright lights? Is the sense of horror it instils in me justified or am I missing beauty and a retail epiphany? Please note this is NOT a shopping trip and for the duration of our visit handling the merchandise will be strictly forbidden.

We will catch the X50 bus from Manchester Piccadilly at 13:19 (it goes from the main bus station area) which is due to arrive at 13.55. The route map is here http://www.gmpte.com/upload/routemaps/250_X50_Web_only_1110.pdf If you are making your own way there please be at the Trafford Centre bus stop area for 2pm.

If you need more information or fancy a natter about the use and abuse of public space, the nature of contemporary psychogoegraphy or owt else really please contact us at loiter@hepzombie.co.uk or on 07974929589. Email access is a bit wobbly at the moment so please be patient if it takes me a while to respond; I prefer playing out to admin

With glittery love and golden apples
Morag x

Monday 24 January 2011

just 10 of many remarkable women

We are in the process of building a super swanky newfangled website; for now i must apologise this isnt great.

Anyhow, here is a wee bit more information on our ten modernist heroines....

Mitzi Solomon Cunliffe (January 1, 1918 – December 30, 2006) was an American sculptor who was a long resident in Didsbury. She was most famous for designing the golden trophy in the shape of a theatrical mask that would go on to represent the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and be presented as the BAFTA award. She also designed the mural on the Heaton Park Pumping Station.

Winifred Brown, Salfordian Flyer and in her early 20’s was winner of the Kings Cup (air race) in 1930.

Rachel Haugh co-established the architectural practice Ian Simpson Associates. She was born and brought up in Manchester and studied at Bath University School of Architecture. She is a founding partner and co-director of Ian Simpson Architects, a design-led architectural practice established in 1987 and employing around 50 people in offices in Manchester and London.

Susan Sutherland Isaacs (1885–1948) was a Bolton born educational psychologist and psychoanalyst. Educated at Manchester and Cambridge Universities, she published pioneer studies on the intellectual and social development of children and promoted the nursery school movement. For Isaacs developing a child’s independence, which is best achieved through play, was the best way for children to learn and the role of adults and early educators was to guide children's play. She was awarded a CBE in 1948.

Marie Stopes (15 October 1880 – 2 October 1958) was a noted palaeobotanist, campaigner for women's rights and pioneer in the field of family planning. She was the first woman member of faculty at Manchester University.

Professor Rosalie David is the world's leading expert on Egyptian mummies. She is Director of the Centre for Biomedical and Forensic Egyptology at the University of Manchester and has directed the Manchester Egyptian Mummy Research Project since 1973. This project has pioneered the 'Manchester Method' - the use of medical and scientific techniques to investigate ancient Egyptian mummies to detect evidence of disease and information about everyday life in ancient Egypt. She was the first woman professor in Egyptology in Britain, and the first to receive an OBE in recognition of her services in Egyptology.

Olive Shapley, British radio producer and broadcaster (10 April 1910– 13 March 1999) was a British radio producer and broadcaster. In 1934 she began her career with the BBC as Children's Hour organiser with the responsibility of producing five hour-long programmes every week. These included at least two full-length live plays a week. After the war she became the third presenter of ‘Woman's Hour’, a programme with which she was associated for over twenty years, producing the programme between 1949 and 1953. Meanwhile, she began to develop a career as a presenter in the new television medium. In the mid-1960s her Manchester home became a refuge (as a charitable trust) for single mothers and later, in the late 1970s, for Vietnamese boat people.

Professor Doreen Massey is a Manchester born contemporary British social scientist and geographer, devoting her life to the subject, speaking passionately about the significance of geography and the 'politics of place' in a globalised world. Her work has had a profound influence on theorising around space and place and has taken the study of geography into new inter-disciplinary directions.

Mary Stott (18 July 1907 – 16 September 2002) was a British feminist and journalist, the first - and longest-serving - editor of the Guardian women's page. One of the great campaigning journalists of the 20th century, in her 15-year tenure from 1957 to 1972 she invented a platform for women's voices and concerns and used it to further such causes.

Linder Sterling studied Art at the Manchester School of Art from 1974-77 and played a vital part in the 1970s punk scene in Manchester, designing graphics for the Buzzcocks, Magazine and Factory Records. She remains a pivotal visual artist, performance artist and musician, whose work has been selected for the Tate Triennial.

News Extra: Blackburn adventures and modernist heroines. Please get involved

Ahoy there my lovelies

The city often feels less of a physical entity and more of a flow of energies, ideas and creativity; sometimes when we are drifting around we collide with some amazing people and The LRM are delighted to be able to share news of a couple of exciting collaborations we are involved in and hope you can join us for

The abandoned shop of curiosities – A Blackburn Adventure

We’ve raved before about the glory of Jane Samuels art; focusing on urban exploration, forgotten and forbidden places and the ghosts that linger, curiously, in our midst it is right up our (derelict and eerily beautiful) street. Jane currently has a residency in Blackburn and we have used her installation as a base to collect personal histories, memories and yarns about the town; these will form the basis of a heritage tour with a twist. Please join us if you can on Saturday January 29th or February 5th (the latter date will be the full, final work so I would encourage coming to that one) 2pm starting at LET Shop 1 65 King William Street, Blackburn. For more details please see http://www.milliondollaryack.com/GhostStations

Also – if you have a favourite spot in Blackburn, or any memories connected to the city, please get in touch as soon as possible

Modernist Heroines – A Collaborative Call out

The LRM are teaming up with our good friends at The Manchester Modernist Society and The Shrieking Violet to invite you to join us in a collaborative project promoting a century of Modernist women to coincide with the hundredth birthday celebrations of International Women's Day on March 8.

We are currently looking for expressions of interest around the theme of ten fabulous females strongly associated with the North West spanning the fields of invention, aviation, media, science, design and architecture in the twentieth century.

We aim to produce a publication and range of activities centred around the lives and careers of our ten local heroines in early March, and are looking for your creative responses. This can be (but is not limited to) an event, performance, piece of creative writing, interview or journalism. Our only stipulation is that the work be about one of our ten local heroines.

Deadline for expression of interest is Friday 28 January — simply indicate your chosen Heroine and an outline of the type of work likely to be submitted. Deadline for final submission of work is Friday 18 February, to allow print and publicity in time for a March event on Sunday 6 March i.e First Sunday)

Please email info@manchestermodernistsociety.org in the first instance with your choice of Fabulous Female and a short summary of the idea you might wish to pursue. Please pass the details onto anyone you think might be interested.

Our ten modernist heroines are as follows (more information about them all can be found at www.nowhere-fest .blogspot.com oh and yes, I know there are myriad other wonderful women who need celebrating every day but please trust us this will be good)
Mitzi Solomon Cunliffe, sculptorWinifred Brown, aviatorRachel Haugh, architectSusan Sutherland Isaacs, educational psychologist and psychoanalyst. Marie Stopes, family planning pioneer and palaeobotanist.Professor Rosalie David Egyptologist.Olive Shapley, radio producer and broadcaster. Professor Doreen Massey, social scientist and geographerMary Stott, journalistLinder Sterling, artist

Also, we bring news of two excellent endeavours which we are whole heartedly supporting. This is a time to connect, stand together and create the future we want….

Open Manchester have organised a debate on 5pm Monday 31st January Open Mic gives you an opportunity to speak your mind about the cuts and reforms to higher education.As well as an open forum for opinions there will be talks from people representing all sides of the debate. All are welcome. More details at http://manchesteropen.wordpress.com/

Queer Riot at the Contact on 12 February offers three hours of outrageous and outraged feminist and queer performers, discussion, workshops and networking. It’s a chance to think about fighting back against the cuts and help create queer culture in a time of austerity. The LRM will be facilitating some kind of workshop around safe/unsafe spaces (more details nearer the time) http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=178453632185388

News of February’s First Sunday will be imminent; expect a derive boldly going where The LRM have never been before.

I hope to see you on the streets soon, for more information on The LRM or any of the above please email loiter@hepzombie.co.uk or call/ text 07974929589

With love, power and early snowdrops
Morag x