Tuesday, August 30, 2011

our house, was our castle and our keep / our house, in the middle of our street


So, I wrote a review about this book for a newspaper here in Sweden where a friend of mine works as an editor for the moment (nepotism, ftw!). It's not published yet & it's not really a big thing, but it got me thinking about how important certain places can become in your life. Not just the people that build them, by spirit or by hand, but also the buildings themselfes. The colour of the wallpaper, the grafitti in the bathroom, the carvings on the surface of a table. Layer upon layer of history in the making. Lifes & stories getting mixed & turned around just because you happened to be there just then.


These houses are not important just because they provide a space for alternative culture, for the kids, the rebels & the vagabonds, but also as institutions. As a very real proof that something can be built by joint effort & that together we can make a difference, demand a place & a voice in the public sphere. Because of this, the very personal relationship many people have to them, it's always a tragedy when one of them gets destroyed. When Ungeren died it was the end of an era, when Cyklopen was burned down it was like getting hit in the face. But as they say in the song - Vi har 69 i hjertet / We have 69 in our hearts. A new era has already begun in K-town & just about a month ago the first steps was taken of the construction of a new free culture house in Stockholm. These houses, together with hundreds others all over the world, provide a safe haven for some of us, a place where to find like minded people, to plan a revolution, to learn a craft, to live. They are worth fighting for & worth documenting for the world & the future.



 
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