RampART

Variously known as the rampART social centre, the rampART creative centre and social space, or more commonly simply as rampART.

The rampART is a squatted autonomous social centre opened on May 21st 2004 and located in the East End of London near Whitechapel (15-17 Rampart Street, London E1 2LA) rampART took it's name from Rampart Street E1, home of the abandoned warehouse which was previously used as an Islamic girls school. Within the first year, the derelict building had hosted over 100 cultural and political events - placing the rampART firmly and literally on the activist map of London.

Inspired by social centre like Forte Prenastina in Rome, the project as a non-commercial not-for-profit venue hosting cultural and political events, including film festivals, art exhibitions, benefit concerts, political discussions, public meetings and workshops. Occupied by artists and activists, the East London warehouse (which was last used as an Islamic girls school) provides a large hall for events, a makeshift stage, and small PA, library, meeting room, workshop space such as sewing and screen print workshop, band rehearsal and recording room, video and audio editing suite, radio studio, internet access including open Wi-Fi, and a shared office.

Like all such projects, it is managed by volunters without funding and a strong emphasis on consensus decision making and DIY culture.

The UK has had its share of squatted political spaces over the decades but the last few years has seen something of a resurgence in activity, inspired by the strong social centres movement found in Spain and Italy etc. Social Centres have been springing up all over the country but their existence is often precarious, dependent either on maintaining rent or retaining a squatted property. The average lifespan of a squat typically clocks in at around three months. However the rampART may yet celebrate it's second birthday.

In 'Fences and Windows' (2001), - Naomi Klein wrote, "Social centres are abandoned buildings - warehouses, factories, military forts, schools - that have been occupied by squatters and transformed into cultural and political hubs, explicitly free from both the market, and from state control... Though it may be hard to tell at first, the social centres aren't ghettos, they are windows — not only into another way to live, disengaged from the state, but also into a new politics of engagement. And yes, it's something maybe beautiful."

For many people the rampART has been a venue for many gigs and partys but the rampART is a highly political space and this is reflected even in the partys. The massive free festival for peace [ http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-london/2004-September/0910-au.html ] organised by The European Creative Forum and Peace Not War was accompanied by an afternoon of workshops. Likewise the recent benefit party for the Hacklab which combined information and discussion about the threat of software patents [ http://london.pm.org/pipermail/london.pm/Week-of-Mon-20050404/031284.html ].

The rampART has remained a not-for-profit venue. Entrance is always free or by donation, nobody gets paid and the venue never asks for a cut. Thousands of pounds have been raised during benefit events for groups and campaigns such as London Rising Tide, PeaceNews, Real2Reel [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/04/309073.html ], and Indymedia. Argentinian, Bolivian and Chillean solidarity groups have raised money for political prisoners and fund-raising for the anti-G8 mobilisations in Scotland.

Many of the acts who've performed at the rampART have become regulars and the band Gertrude used the space to record tracks for their next album which carries the working title 'ramparts'.

Beyond parties, the rampART has also hosted meetings, discussion and gatherings such as a week long ‘Venezuela Solidarity’ event [ http://www.thenewagenda.org/latinamericanliberation/pages/programme.htm ] during the Hugo Chavez referendum, a week-long series of talks, films, food and discussion about Africa [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/11/300493.html ]; and the highly ambitious consious fashion week [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2005/02/304677.html ].

Amoung the groups which have used the space for meetings are the International Solidarity Movement, the European Creative Forum and London Adbusters and the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army. [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/03/307900.html ]

Since the closure of The Other Cinema, Indymedia has been using the rampART as a venue for a series of film festivals. The first, covering social struggles in India [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/01/303872.html ], drew threats from right wing Hindus seeking to censor films about the massacre of 2,000 Muslims at the hands rioting Hindus in Gujarat. Other indymedia screenings include 'Caminos De Resistencia (Paths Of Resistance)' [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/02/305015.html ] and the Middle East Film Festival [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/04/308539.html ]. There has also been non indymedia organised festivals including Positive Global Movements [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2005/01/304506.html ], a week long exhibition of inspiring stories of resistance around the world.

Other screenings have ranged from fictional films to documentaries including The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, The Globalisation Tapes, and Forth World War. Prior to it's official debut, Michael Moores 'Fahrenheit 911' was premiered at the rampART on the 4th July as part of an ‘Independence FROM America’ themed evening. At it's peak, 120 people squeezed into rampART's main room for a documentary about McLibel and a sneak premiere of ‘Supersize Me’ [ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2004/09/297110.html ].

Another project to have emerged from the rampART is the internet radio station, RampART radio, which was set up to provide independent coverage during the European Social Forum last October [ http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=3748 ]. Streaming 24/7, it's output is a mix of independent news, spoken word, plus conscious and revolutionary tunes. Many of the events that happen in the hall have also been streamed live and there is a diverse programme of live shows appear with varying regularity and tardiness. It's not unusual to catch impromptu interviews with interesting people who have been forced into the studio while visiting the rampART.

The rampART also hosts the creative media lab, one of two such labs maintained by the London Hacklabs Collective. The hacklab contains about a dozen recycled computers running FreeBSD and open source applications such as Firefox, Open Office, GIMP, [[Kino}} and many others.

While the rampART has always sought to remain a nonresidential project, it has always welcomed guests and numerous overseas visitors have enjoyed free accommodation while on missions in London. This invaluable opportunity for cultural exchange has enriched and inspired everyone involved. During the European Social Forum, the rampART opened it's doors to accommodate over 50 European visitors as well as laying on free food and a huge range of entertainment [ http://www.wombles.org.uk/news/article_2004_08_12_0022.php ]. Additionally, as one of the ESF autonomous spaces, rampART hosted the Home Education Forum and acted as homebase for the European Creative Forum and the Laboratory of Insurrectional Imagination.

Of course it's important not to forget the ART in rampart. The venue has hosted the fresh talents of wide range of artists - from the mixed media of ‘a beginning...’ [ http://rampart.omxtra.net/modules/xoopsgallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02 ], the hardcore photos of ZDO9 [ http://rampart.omxtra.net/modules/xoopsgallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01 ]; the performance art from 'chikukuango'; thought provoking sculptures in 'the body', a the hard hitting installation 'the election'. Not to mention providing the floor space for the creation of many of the large banners seen at protests in london. the rampART website is http://www.rampart.co.nr/

you can join the rampART mailing list via http://lists.riseup.net/www/subrequest/rampart .