01 May 2010
"Squat" in Lyon
A few days ago, we went to a "squat" in Lyon for a concert. I put "squat" in quotation marks because I feel like the word doesn't quite do it justice. "Huge Autonomous Bastion of Freedom and Artistic Expression" might be a bit of a better description. It was in an abandoned factory, and has been going for nearly a decade. The walls are all painted, sculptures jostle for attention, busses have been parked inside and made into living quarters alongside yurts and various UFOs built out of recycled materials and cob, there is a large garden, chickens, a seemingly permanent buffet of potluck food, zine library, full scale sound systems, bike workshop, woodworking workshop, compost toilets, two or three hundred resident artists... Schoolchildren even go on tours of the place! So, I guess the world doesn't just fall apart when people are empowered to create their own living spaces outside of governmental or corporate control...
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2 comments:
Steph and I visit squats in Amsterdam from time to time. I don't think any are nearly as big or developed as what you describe. Many offer nice vegetarian food as well as other activities, and we sometimes visit them for evening meals. Here are a couple of their websites:
http://ot301.nl/page=site.home
http://www.zaal100.nl/ (sorry this is in Dutch, but you get the idea I think)
Wow, nice. It seems like this is a thing that happens in Europe a hell of a lot more than in North America, artists and various concerned citizens occupying abandoned buildings to turn them into living spaces. I'd much rather spend my free time in a place like this than an overrated bar or club! Pity they so often aren't given the chance to stay and keep these places running.
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