LONDON TORTURE

PART OF THE SPACE EXPLORATION DAY

As Sibley has emphasized, ‘outsiders’ cannot be understood in isolation: the interactions between the ‘mainstream’ society and outsiders and the spaces into which each is allowed are important because they are important representations of how we see our selves - in this respect at least the construction of the ‘terrorist’ is no different from the ‘poor’, the ‘homeless’. An identity politics perspective on ‘The War on Terrorism’, therefore, seeks to theorize iconic (as opposed to ‘lived’) Terrorism by basing it not only on the experiences of injustice associated with the identity of those excluded as ‘terrorists’, but on the insight Terrorism gives us into the performed identities of the ‘Just’.

Since the attack on the World Trade Centre, the expansion of a range of highly masculinized terms such as ‘terrorist sympathizers’ and ‘enablers’ has allowed the exclusionary terminology of an Unending War on Terrorism to encroach rapidly on hitherto acceptable forms of civic participation and public behaviour in at least nominally public and democratic spaces, physical and cyber. The immanent, not to say Manichaean properties of a voracious other, Terrorism, have been instrumentalized to urge the necessity for forms of sexualized, priapic behaviour deemed pre-9/11 to be unacceptable (extraordinary rendition (sexual abduction), torture (forced penetration)), raising a number of interesting questions about the public and the private, the acceptable and the unacceptable. As Said put it:

“Just as none of us is outside or beyond geography, none of us is completely free from the struggle over geography. That struggle is complex an interesting because it is not only about soldiers and cannons but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings.” (Said, 1993: 7)

The current forms of behaviour that are defined as Terrorism are geo-spatial behaviours sanctified in the past as an important part of the national mythology of at least some of the G8 countries and their geo-political allies, leaving one to ask: Is the ‘problem’ of Terrorism less that it is in some way deviant, but that it is mainstream behaviour carried out in deviant geo-political space? Does the deviant nature of this ‘other’ behaviour also intensify performances of sexualised masculinity which allow the private to subordinate the public? Is torture an act in which the deviant terrorist is forced into a submissive, feminized role and malestream liberal democracy can hold up a mirror in which to admire its masculinity?

With these and other interesting questions in mind, Guerilla Geographers will be seeking to invert the norm by performing waterboarding in a number of iconic public spaces in London on March 1st in Russell Sq at 1pm, thus (hopefully) challenging accepted public/private divides, asking the public to comment on and think about the ‘acceptable’ and pushing at the barriers of the legally acceptable versus the privately unaccountable.

NB For those who are unaware of what waterboarding involves, please watch the 10-minute video-clip at http://current.com/pods/controversy/PD04399 of someone being (voluntarily) waterboarded.

Contacts: Jon Cloke and Daniel Raven-Ellison,Co-administrators,
Guerilla Geography
guerrillageography@googlemail.com

LONDON 01.03.08

SPACE EXPLORERS

Do you have any ideas to get people questioning their space(s)?

Taking place on the 1st of March the LONDON Guerrilla Geography event is all about getting people to think differently about space. For a moment in time we're to make walkers in London Space Explorers by making situations in which people are forced to think about their geographies in new ways.

This is an exciting move for Guerrilla Geography and one which we want to open up to all Geographers. As with the Birmingham event, we want to for the public into thinking geographically... as an individual moves through London they might be followed by a roaming (dud) CCTV camera on Oxford Street before being asked to map their naughty memories in Covent Garden. What they meet or are asked to do in other places... we don't know just yet and that is what we'd like to recruit geographers for.

If you have a creative idea for getting people to see their world(s) in new way(s) we'd love to hear from you and then if you wanted... come along on the day to take part in this important event that is pushing out the fringes of geography and making people realise that it is not 'boring'.

CLUSTER BOMBS CANCELLED & LONDON CCTV EVENT - NOW IN 2008

The London CCTV Event that was planned for this Saturday (20.10.07) is being pushed back to Saturday 1st of March, 2008. Many people are interested - but seem to be a little busy that weekend.... so, March 2008 it is. See you then!

It is the same sort of a story for cluster bombs so this is now cancelled. This is a shame, but a tour of torture is on the cards and supporters are needed.

Guerrilla Geography: Day 2, London CCTV

THIS EVENT IS NOW TAKING PLACE IN MARCH 2008

The next Guerrilla Geography event is going to be based on our fun in Birmingham. While the focus is on London this time, we want as many mirror events to take place across the world as possible. If you can't make it to London but want to be a part of this event, just set up your own Guerrilla Geography CCTV event. Mirror events in Sydney (Australia), Tallinn (Estonia) and Manchester (UK's north) are already on the cards.

If you are outside of the UK and want to join in contact us so that we can post your event on our Facebook page and this blog.

Here are the details of the London event so far:

After the success of the first Guerrilla Geography Day (focusing on CCTV in Birmingham and recieved attention from local TV and radio) we're now looking for geographers (University Students, Teachers, Academics, Professionals, Geography Lovers...) to getting people 'thinking geographically' across Central London with a focus on Oxford Street. This time we want the London and national media to sit up , think geographically and recognise the field as it should do.

Direct (public geographical education) Action

Time & Place: Saturday 20th October between 13:00 and 17:00 in Central London.

Aim: To challenge the public’s spatial awareness of “hidden” geographies.

Objective: For the public(s) to see the world differently.

Method: Invading (personal, social, commercial, security etc.) space dressed as on-foot ‘CCTV’. The cameras will be held by guerrilla geographers who will be wearing boiler suits with the words ‘Official Geographic CCTV Unit. Give Geography its Place.’ on them.

Kit you need: Empty CCTV housing (bigger the better with cable to go into backpack), White disposable boiler suit (as found at B&Q and Homebase), bright backpack (ideally red), dark shoes/trainers, adhesive letters to fix onto CCTV housing as on the website.

Kit supplied: GGTV ID Badge, Guerrilla Geography Stickers (London Event Only)

PRECISE LOGISTICS TO BE ANNOUCED

GGTV Birmingham

Guerrilla Geography TV Day 1 Video (Preview)



Guerrilla Geographers on BBC West Midlands 6pm News 16.08.07



Guerrilla Geographers on BBC WM Radio at 7.40am 16.08.07


...but it could have been and so we are organising a massive Guerrilla Geography Day 2: LONDON - and we need you to join us in this massive public (direct action) event. Geography university students, academics, teachers, professionals...

Full report to follow....