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Editorial
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Yep, it's all over and what a blast! The School project started out with several different intentions, some of which worked, some failed; but the experience, I’m sure all of you who were involved or came down for some of the crazy nights agree, was hedonistic, original, and unquantifiable. So that's exactly what I’m going to attempt to do.
Starting on the 1st of May and continuing until the 22nd of November, the community art project had it’s ups and downs, nostalgically speaking, mostly ups. I remember the first few weeks of hunting out hidden secrets, cleaning, hoping for a bright summer. The huge hall space was like nowhere else available to a group of artists with dreams in a city so limited by studio space, so lacking in night-clubs of calibre, so expensive.
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| The possibilities seemed endless, basically we wanted a venue for artists that could open up the community spirit. We wanted a place for people to hang out and have a great party, experience freedom (god that sounds cheesy... but hey it was exhilarating!) |
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We set up two multimedia design businesses, K I C and anoncreative, a music studio and jam rooms. We had painters, video-makers, illustrators, designers, photographers and writers. Simultaneously, we were trying to save the building, pitting our inexperienced but good faith against a multi million pound property development company that are quite hardened to tearing down heritage sites for enormous profit (I’m not bitter). Soon it will be flats, houses, new, average, uneventful...
Whilst I sit here collating the events and reviewing the photographs it strikes me as surprising how much actually took place inside of six and a half months, the summer and autumn of 2003. Our first event was ‘anti independence day’ - bands, poetry, djs. Not busy, but fun, symbolic of our new found defiance against conventionality.
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Our three art exhibitions, hopscotch, morning and demolition exhibtion, helped display over fifty artists, many of whom had never had the opportunity or funds to get anything seen before. The private views went down really well, councillors for Cambridgeshire, came down, gallery owners swanned around with a glass of merlot: It really felt like something dramatic could happen. Some work was sold too, always a good thing!
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Half a dozen bands got pushed through the studio with demos at the other end. Many musicians played in the hall at parties giving them exposure to a select crowd, poets too got to perform their material at candlelit evenings. A reputation was built to the extent that some of the parties had 200 + people, continuing until seven or eight in the morning. Lots of trouble was caused but hey all in the name of fun, what can you do? There seemed nowhere elsewhere we could express ourselves; ironic really, the only place that had no rules was an old school.
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Some of the classics were the Strawberry Fair organisers party and Earthdance - a charity fundraiser, the first one to really kick off a party mood. Break-time, with some superb dj-ing by Vigi. The Goodtimes after-party, (thanks to squiz for that one!). Yeah, we had a few problems with thugs at ‘The School Disco’ - stuff went missing and people got hurt but everything gets sniffed out and spoilt by thick idiots eventually. Overall I personally had some of my best nights in Cambridge inside the place. The main strength however, was the friendships forged - as it should be I guess.
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So, in tribute, we’ve been collecting multimedia and the thoughts of those closely associated with the School for posting on this site. Hope it brings back some fond memories. Thank you all for being part of something special.
Jez Williams
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