"We face a hostile corporate assault on public spaces, art and communities. A large space in central London has been liberated for a one-day event: talks, debates, art, screenings, music and celebration." So said activists; Bread and Circuses, as they temporarily squatted A five storey house belonging to Anish Kapoor at Lincoln's Inn Field, that he bought in 2009 and left empty. It was brought to life for the weekend as part of an Unofficial unolympic protest highlighting Kapors connection to the Olympic sculpture he made of corporate steel.
The action was taken by a group calling themsleves 'Bread and Circuses' hoping to raise the issue of the government using the Olypics as "a smokescreen to take our minds off austerity measures, the global economic crisis and the commodification and privatisation of everything, even art".
Their site adds; "This event will take place from 4pm on Friday June 22nd in a beautiful space that has been left to ruin since 2009. Its owner is one of the wealthiest artists in the world and designer of London’s favourite mega-structure, the meccano on crack ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower. Apparently “public art”, it costs £15 to visit. This is a publicly funded piece of PR for a corporation guilty of various crimes, just like the Olympics. It is an example of how corporate power invades every aspect of our lives from sports to arts.
Boris Johnson said of the tower “Of course some people will say we are nuts – in the depths of a recession – to be building Britain’s biggest ever piece of public art.”
John Hilary from War on Want spoke about the need to "Celebrate the Olympics by reclaiming it, making it a public event rather than having it primarily as a corporate opportunity". He added "The Olympics is a symbol of monopoly capitalism." McDonalds, Coca Cola, Cadbury's, Dow Chemical's - we're lovin' it!"
An evening of music and laughter was had by all.
Original article on IMC London:
