Gatherings & Public Order - A zine

Gatherings & Public Order

e n i z a

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“My mind was not at rest, because nothing was acted; and thoughts ran in me that words and writings were nothing and must die; for action is life of all, and if thou dost not act, thou dost nothing.

Garrard Winstanley 1649

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Contents Introduction ................................................................................... 6 Gatherings ................................................................................... 10 Police Surveillance ...................................................................... 16 Selected Exhibitions ................................................................... 21 Bio ................................................................................................ 22

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Introduction

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o begin with, I feel it relevant to tell you something of my background in photography and how I come to be here in the first place.

I started taking pictures, at the end of the 70's. I wanted to communicate something of what it was like to be a young rootless "Traveller". Because I was one.

Years earlier, I had a truck that I had deckedout as a "Mobile home" and lived on the road, travelling around the festivals and fairs for a

couple of years. More and more people began to come to such events and while there, many were set an "example" by the new travellers to change their lifestyles from being settled.

Travelling, of course provided a sensible alternative to many people who were homeless in the cities.

Because of these increasing numbers, events would spring up in the countryside at short notice with little or no organisation. Welfare

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agencies began to be formed to help provide services where the local authorities were quite unable or unwilling to. I volunteered to help them and soon realised that I could be more effective with some training. I became an Accident Ambulanceman in London and there I got some experience that I have been applying since.

However, I soon discovered that people not only asked us for help for injuries and illness, people could be equally

circumstances that would have been otherwise unavailable. Thus my initial interest in photography was merely a means of gathering evidence.

I began to record more aspects of life on the road. There is no stereotype of a festival goer or traveller that is truly representative and so the project grew to take this into account.

Not very many people attempting to record the distressed as a result of were trying to photograph way the authorities their treatment by the these events at the time, reacted to a new group of Law. the exception appeared social misfits as they I was a welfare worker to be the tabloid press with "Release", an organi- were seen. Some of intent on rubbishing these photographs sation concerned with events and the police enabled people to be legal rights and advice. I looking for evidence. took photographs initially successfully defended in Against this background, court. They showed with the mission of it was clear that every

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effort and time should be given to reassure people of my intentions. This was hard to begin with because of many peoples past experiences. But my purpose was understood and I was welcomed and encouraged.

I was further able to lower suspicions by showing a "slide show", perhaps next to a stage.

Where for the first time, those assembled were able to see the work of one of these "photographer types" who came and went and nobody knew who they were!

The show I did became known to the travellers circuit and seemed appreciated. It also of course exposed a bit of a "double standard" held by some that enjoyed seeing pictures of themselves and friends on home ground, but did not like having their photos

taken. Some have still said that "I steal their souls" by taking photographs.

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Gatherings

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atherings in the open air with music are probably as old as anything human beings have ever done.

The 'Pop Festival' became a more modern manifestation of peoples desire to gather and celebrate. We are social animals. In the late 1960's, they went to Woodstock and the Monterey Festivals and many other events by the million. In the UK, the free 'Stones in the Park' and the Isle of Wight Festival saw huge crowds. Alongside the

commercial events, 'Free Festivals' developed.

People were fed up with the exploitation, rules,

great music, making do, living with the environment, consuming their needs and little else.

squalor and general ripoff that so many events came to represent. They discovered something. It is a powerful vision.

People lived together, a community sharing possessions, listening to

Parallel to all this, the squatting movement was taking off, and groups such as the 'Hyde Park Diggers' were beginning to question land rights.It is from these beginnings that the 1970's saw the establishment of many commercial and free events.

The Windsor People's Free Festival became an annual event over the August Bank Holiday. As numbers continued to rise, and with the politics of the situation, (after all, we were

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in the Queen's back garden), in 1974 Thames Valley police eventually acted.

Forcibly breaking up the site with much violence and injury. (They have been hitting us with sticks for years now!). After finding a sense of community and purpose, some for the first time in their lives, many adopted an alternative lifestyle and travelled between events in the 'season'. They didn't go 'home' in between. You got to choose your neighbours and defeated

the alienation that many had felt back in the cities.

In 1975, the People's Free Festival was reestablished on a disused airfield in Oxfordshire.

Over 10,000 people came and for two weeks, re-

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invented the town. The following year however, the bank holiday event died due to much police pressure and days of very heavy rain!

The Stonehenge Free Festival had been held at

the Summer Solstice since 1974. However at the 1977 event, numbers suddenly increased and this became the Annual People's Festival. Since then, the numbers involved doubled each successive year. The 1984 festival attracting hundreds of thousands over a six week period.

People looked at the various examples provided by gypsies here and in Europe; to nomadic people across the world. To try life outside the house in many different ways and to pick and select those means that make life comfortable, easy and meaningful. The 'bender', the

Indian 'tipi', the Moroccan 'yurt', the Romany 'bow top', the western two-man tent, the truck and the double decker bus.

Many developed a sense of common purpose and identity. There was an acceptance that

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modern life was too fast, expensive and polluting to the environment. We had discovered Anarchy in action, and it worked!

People began working out and managing relations within 'our' communities, without reference

to Them.The temperature had been rising for some time. Assisted by the representation in the press and their invention of the 'Peace Convoy', a

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moral panic was created.

The papers were full of the shock - horror that we have come to expect.

The Sun's - "Gun convoy hippies attack police" (No mention of gun in the article!). The News of the World contributed - "The Wild Bunch - Sex-mad junkie outlaws make the Hell's Angels look like little Noddy". These were headlines read my millions of people and made modern day `folkdevils' out of essentially peaceful people.

In objection to the American Cruise

Missiles to be stationed in this country, a peace camp was established at Greenham Common and later at Molesworth.

However, in February 1985, 'Field Marshall' Heseltine, the then Defence Secretary sent in huge numbers of troops

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to evict the three hundred or so that had occupied the site as the Rainbow Village for some months.Although the authorities found all this distressing, there wasn't law effective in dealing with it. So they invented some. In the past, a

police force generally felt that their job was done when pushing people over their boundary.

Thus mereley passing on the 'problem' as they saw it. In the wake of the Miners Strike, the police had learned how to act as a national force under unitary direction.Something had to be done! Stonehenge appeared central to the situation. Police "Operation Solstice" was initiated. The 'Battle of the Beanfield' resulted and police operations have followed my tribes ever since in their attempts to keep it all down!

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Police Surveillance dissent as it arises, by redefining what’s a crime this week.

Some of the story so far …

The use of police in activities you understand! para-military fashion was o be able to be of But because I am first tested on a national independent interested in getting scale during the miners’ thought. To publish. To strike (aside from the congregate with others to together with others of a draw attention to an issue similar cast of mind. Then Second World War!). The police were somewhat of concern were believed to run experiments in by most to be the obvious events, lifestyles alterna- overwhelmed by the tives and entertainment, unrest in the inner cities manifestation of a free that could well contribute during the early 1980’s. society. Personally, I’ve to the saving of the However, within a couple never believed this crap planet. To try and make a of years, the sciences of myself. Free? My life difference! ‘field manoeuvres’ and experience, (since I was Naturally, the “vested surveillance techniques first hit round the head by a police truncheon at the interests” both inside and were learned. These were then applied to a festival in Windsor Great outside of government wide variety of groups Park in 1974) is that they are perpetually lobbying to move the law about to with equal vigour. are always there, on my their best, frequently, In recent years, surveilcase! Especially when I commercial advantage. lance techniques have gather with friends.

To squash deviance and been developed, they Not for my criminal say, for the catching of criminals in criminal acts, further, to provide evidence for their prosecution. I think society at large would argue, that that’s fair enough. Fingerprint detection, after all, seems to be acceptable to most!

Now, however, these same surveillance techniques are being much used to inform those trying to control `dissent’ “It’s not paranoia .… if they’re really after you…!

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in this country. It should be pointed out that dissent and protests are not crimes here, yet!

Many of us had felt under surveillance for some time, but since the Beanfield, there was a marked increase in their activities. Records were being made of names, nicknames, vehicle registration and undercover operations carried out. Photographs taken.The year after Castlemorton Common, the police set up Operation Snapshot, an intelligence-gathering exercise on raves and Travellers, designed to establish a database of their subjects' personal

details.This information was used as a backbone for an ongoing intelligence operation begun by the Southern Central Intelligence Unit (SCIU), operated from Devizes in Wiltshire and initially coordinated by PC Malcolm

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Keene. The SCIU held regular meetings with representatives of all the constabularies of Britain.

Leaked documents revealed that Operation Snapshot had estimated there to be around 2,000 Travellers vehicles and

8,000 Traveller’s in the UK. In the minutes of a meeting held at Devizes on March 30th 1993, the objectives of the operation included the development of “a system whereby intelligence could be taken into the control room, and the most up-to-date intelligence was to hand”..... “capable of high-speed input and retrieval and dissemination of information.” The meeting was attended by constabulary representatives from Bedfordshire, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, DyfedPowys, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Kent,

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Norfolk, Northamptonshire, South Wales, Gwent, Staffordshire, Thames Valley, Warwickshire, Surrey, Suffolk, West Mercia, West Midlands, Ministry of Defence and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (Hampshire and Essex sent apologies).

They were all asked and all agreed to provide the Southern Central Intelligence Unit with “any information, no matter how small on New Age Travellers or the Rave scene�. The leaked minutes revealed the database was designed to hold one million items

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of information. Clearly this is a number far in excess of those that have committed any offences.

After a short period the Northern New Age Traveller Co-ordination Unit, designed to cover the north of Britain, was established and operated from Penrith in Cumbria.

Liberty has challenged this police monitoring at the European Court of Human Rights. They said: "Targeting the whole of the travelling community is beyond the European Conventions' limitations.

Just because someone is a `new age traveller' doesn't mean that they are involved in crime".

However, the Home Secretary of the time,

Douglas Hurd, described the convoy in a speech to the House of Commons as: “Hon. Members from the west country will be aware of the immense policing difficulties created by the peace convoy, it is anything but peaceful. Indeed, it resembles nothing more than a band of medieval brigands who have no respect for the law or the rights of others”.

Just days later, Margaret Thatcher said that her government was: ” …. Only too delighted to do anything we can to make life difficult for such things as `hippy convoys”.

Such tub-thumping continued for years so that at a later Conservative Party Conference, the Prime Minister, John Major reminded the party faithful: "Society needs to condemn a little more and understand a little less.

New age travellers?

Not in this age!

Not in any age!! " Surveillence was yet further ramped up!

With overt and covert surveillance skills developed further, the Forward Intelligence Teams FIT became a regular feature of gatherings. Their remit

covered a variety of dissent, from alternative and political gatherings, anti-globalisation, antimilitarism and on to more current actions on issues concerned with environmental direct action. They seem to lack the accountability you might expect and some units are now clearly out of any control.

Several police officers have been discovered after spending years undercover living as

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environmental activist to infiltrate peaceful protest groups. Developing long term and sexual relationships as part of their 'legend'. There are now a number of children resulting from the liasons where women are left in distress after their partners had suddenly disappeared from their lives. Many remain bereft, thinking they knew people when it turns out, they didn't!

Selected Exhibitions 2018

One Eye on the Road, Bonington Gallery. Nottingham Trent University

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One Eye on the Road, ‘Light Night’ Installation. Nottingham City Council

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Release: ‘Museum of Drug Policy Exhibition’ London [Group Show]

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Journey to Justice. National Justice Museum. Nottingham [Group Show]

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Resistance! 25 Years of UK Grassroots Movements. Hive, Dalston, London [Group Show]

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Free: Celebrating Free Events For All. Oxo Tower Wharf, South Bank, London [Group Show]

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Resistance is Fertile. Oxfordshire Visual Arts Development Agency. Oxford [Group Show]

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Display: Museum & Heritage Management MA. Nottingham Trent University

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Large Scale ‘tiled pieces’ Bonington Atrium Gallery, Nottingham Trent University

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MA Degree Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham[Group Show]

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Connected Communities Festival / Arts & Humanities Research Council. Uni of Salford

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Afro-Caribbean Carnival, Nottingham

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‘Surveillance’ Privacy International, London School of Economics

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Sumac Centre, Nottingham

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Switch Studio, Nottingham

2011

‘Occupy Nottingham’ Market Square, Nottingham

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‘Coming of Age’ (Asian Mela), New Art Exchange, Nottingham

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Climate Action, Ratcliffe Power Station issues, Mobile exhibition for Greenpeace

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The Arts Organisation. Nottingham

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Rainbow Heritage LGBT History month. Nottingham Central Library

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Temporary Autonomous Art TAA ‘Forbidden Arts’ Manchester

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‘Spring into Action’, Spray Building Community, Nottingham

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Camp for Climate Action, Heathrow, London

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Indymedia Exhibition, ASBO Centre, Nottingham

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Indymedia G8 Convergence Space, Sheffield

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The SchNews Show! Cowley Club, Brighton

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Glastonbury Festival [various festivals between 1986 – 2009]

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Glastonbury Assembly Rooms

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Kebele Cultural Project, Bristol

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Velvet Revolution Tour. Sponsored by Charter 88 and Liberty [Group Show]

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‘Streetstyle: from sidewalk to catwalk’ . Victoria & Albert Museum, London. [Group Show]

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‘Stonehenge’ Prof Barbara Bender. Mobile exhibition

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BA Degree Show, Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Trent University

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Hacienda night-club, Manchester

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Social Centre Collective, Sheffield

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121 Centre, Brixton, London

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Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, Wales

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Great Oak Café, Llanidloes, Wales

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Bio

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lan Lodge comes from a free festival and traveller background.

Living in old buses, trucks and caravans, he drove around the country on ‘the circuit’ with his family and friends. Since the late 1970’s he has been photographing events and the people around him.

Dealing with aspects of ‘alternative’ lifestyles and sub-cultures. Photographing many free and commercial events, 'free party' events ('rave culture'), environment protests, land rights with surrounding social concerns. He aims to present a more positive view of people and communities that are frequently misrepresented.

He has a particular insight into this world since unlike so many press photographers arriving for a dramatic news story; he wants to give a more insightful view that only people who have been accepted into a community can

really achieve.It has not been so easy since many are suspicious of anyone with a camera and their motives. Conflict with the police in more recent years has become a fact of life. Eviction from land and squats, difficulties with children’s education when being continually moved on, all added to the mix.

Also, he is noted for covering political and environmental actions, such protest frequently involving policing operations, especially in relation to surveillance.His work has been produced for publication, galleries, digital and slide projections at events and

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presented at large scale in public spaces. Moving beyond photography, he has experimented with mixed media involving printed and projected text.

A post-graduate of Nottingham Trent University with an MA degree in Photography, Lodge specialises in issues surrounding representation, presenting himself in print and audio-visual format. A member of the National Union of Journalists, he is a documentary photographer, a photo-journalist and ‘storyteller’ always on the lookout to cover the different strands of such related issues.

“Civil disobedience on grounds of conscience is an honourable tradition in this country and those who take part in it may in the end be vindicated by history.”

Lord Justice Hoffman (commented during the Twyford Down appeal)

© Alan Lodge. Nottingham. UK 2018 alan@alanlodge.co.uk http://alanlodge.co.uk

thanks to Joe, for back cover graphic.

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