Wednesday 6 March 2013

Just Do(ing) It, Again: The Politics of DIY and Self-Organised Culture

Via Andy Abbott:


All the info here: http://www.brad.ac.uk/music/whats-on-workshops/

Just Do(ing) It, Again: The Politics of DIY and Self-Organised Culture

A day of presentations, workshops, films and discussion about the social, political and economic resonances of DIY culture.

Saturday May 11th, 2013 at 1 in 12 Club, Bradford, West Yorkshire.
11am – 6pm with entertainment ‘til late.

The first Just Do(ing) It conference happened in May 2011 at S1 Artspace, Sheffield and focused on artist-led activity with presentations and contributions from John Holloway (Professor of Sociology, Insituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico, author of Change the World without taking Power (new ed. Pluto, London, 2010) and Crack Capitalism (Pluto, London, 2010); Leeds Creative Timebank (Alternative economy initiative http://www.leedscreativetimebank.co.uk/); Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt (Sheffield-born writer and investigative researcher); Milena Placentile (Winnipeg based curator, writer and researcher); and Gregory Sholette (US-based artist/writer on informal art practice, author of Dark Matter, Art and Politics in the Age of Enterprise Culture, 2011).

This second get-together aims to share experiences of, and critically reflect on, underground and marginal cultural practices with a particular focus on art and music. We understand DIY activity as that which is not-for-profit, self-organised, consciously non-professional or counter-institutional and as such disrupts and exceeds the capitalist constructs of work and leisure. The event proposes that such experiments in independent/autonomous, collective and non-capitalist organisation point towards a different world. What would a world based on the principles, social relations and ethics arising from underground cultural practices and their communities/scenes look like? How can we share knowledge and experiences to help strengthen and build upon these oftentimes marginal and precarious networks? What conditions are necessary to allow DIY culture to thrive? What does this all mean in the current context of neo-conservative Big Society rhetoric?

The event will take place at the legendary 1 in 12 Club in Bradford, one of Europe’s longest-running anarchist social centres. Over its three floors there will be a series of presentations, workshops, films and opportunity for informal discussion. Vegan and vegetarian food will be available from the café and there will be musical entertainment, conversation and drinking in the evening.


We are currently accepting proposals for presentations, workshops and films to be screened.

All should respond to the above theme in some manner and be an hour maximum in length (30 minutes with 30 minutes for audience discussion for presentations). We particularly welcome proposals that:

- Are case studies of self-organised initiatives in art and music (collectives, bands, record labels, artist-led spaces, co-ops, publishing houses, etc).
- Theoretically and/or historically frame self-organised activity (particularly in terms of cultural-political movements such as Surrealism, the Situationist International, Italian Autonomia, Feminist and non-European movements, and the production of noncapitalist subjectivities).
- Practical workshops in organising, communicating and sharing skills useful to sustaining DIY cultural activity.
- Documentaries about self-organised culture and artist films relating to the themes above.
The event is operating on minimal funding and as such we cannot offer a fee to those providing content. We do, however, intend to contribute towards travel costs to those who deliver presentations or workshops and provide food and refreshments.


Just Do(ing) It, Again is organised by Andy Abbott through his role as Fellow in Music at University of Bradford.

If you would like to submit a proposal for content please send a brief one-page outline of the main themes and content of your paper/presentation/workshop/film as well as a paragraph or two of biographical information and/or weblinks to Andy at zadanzig@yahoo.co.uk by 12pm, Friday 15th March.