Chopped Potato : Spring eternal

Or, "Rumble in the bronx."

Back in January, I noted in my Londonist interview that rumours of demolition work on the estate were due to begin in the Spring.

Well, it appears that Spring has now finally arrived.

The following photos show the beginnings of the estate's transformation into a building site, with six council blocks in total due to go under.

First up, equipment installed just today to test the water quality of the ground opposite Caspian House.

The almost redundant flats of Darien House, the next block from Caspian.

The demolition warnings and fences sealing off the grounds to Aden House and Taranto House are a sure sign of activity.

More evidence of the council's intentions for Aden House.

Aden House (where most of the squatter meetings had been held) now forbidden territory, unless you happen to wear a hardhat.

Flores House (three blocks away from our flats) and the dumping ground for worksite equipment (note the stack of fences lain on the grass). Also in this photo, one of the dog patrol vans.

Close up of Flores House, with a few squats still standing.

The mobile office suggests the workmen are in it for the long haul. The demolition of everything is expected to be completed by March 2010.

NB Security doesn't like you taking photos of all this, by the way, and will hightail it after you as you do so (yes, I was hightailed).

Squatshots, 8 : Nurse this

From a derelict nursing home of a former hospital to a community autonomous free space? Then check out the north London-based Krankenhouse.

Home to 15-20 squatters, the space hosts events, art workshops, music rehearsal space and a gallery for the local community.

A t-shirt printing room!

Even the toilet gets theirs.

Squat heavy

At the top of this photo (as viewed from Kitchen Sink Neighbour's squat) is the boarded-up home of the recently removed Polish family. If you squint real hard, you may be able to pick out a human figure standing up against a wall.

What we thought was a squatter enjoying the brief spell of rain hurtling at us this afternoon turns out to be a lookout for a squat opening. That new squat being, the ex-Polish family abode.

The squatters have gained access through the roof hatch of their squat which is next door. The lookout is there to keep an eye out on the security patrol. Once we realise what he is doing, we too start to do our bit, by also keeping watch and letting other squatters know of the action taking place.

It doesn't take long to gain access, although the guys are in need of boltcutters to crack the D-lock around the outside railings. It isn't until around 10pm that the security guards become aware of the break-in. They also call in the cops, four of whom are now up on the gangway trying to protect the flat.

Joining them, however, are squatters from all across the estate, each of them arriving to give the squat some support. I'm counting about 30 of us, all quietly turning up and forming a crowded group on the landing, chatting amongst ourselves as though we're in a queue for a gig.

Amongst the cops, we spot a couple of guys later identified as "the fake squatters". That is, plains clothes police dressed as squatters who also drive a sleek black car. Once the police arrive, the security guards step back, returning to their vans to shine flashlights in our direction. According to Kitchen Sink Neighbour, their pleas of "we need to stand with our comrades" (aka the cops) had apparently gone unnoticed, by both the squatters and their 'comrades'.

It is really heartening to see this organised action taking place... it's almost like an impromptu get-together, part resistance/part how's it going. After 30 minutes of the cops not getting their way, they decide to leave, to huge cheers from the squatters.

Here's a shaky photo of the cops chatting with the security and the fakes post-win.

Over a spicy rice supper, Kitchen Sink Neighbour and I later talk about the whole shebang of the day and the implications for our squats and this particular block of flats.

Meanwhile, the photo below (and taken today) updates you on the progress of the flat Sitex'ing, in this case with Darien House, the block opposite to ours.

Dramarama

Or, "Who let you in?"

Four days after my departure and... this afternoon, the squat is broken into.

This is the window that faces out onto the gangway, now boarded up after today's incident, thanks to a neighbouring squatter with a spare bit of wood and a drill. This was also the entry point for the intruders. The story, as Kitchen Sink Neighbour tells it:

"Peter, who lives in a squat in the opposite block, spotted three Bengali boys breaking into your squat. He said it looked like they were drunk, that they were loitering on the gangway and chancing it with your flat. I also heard what vaguely sounded like smashing glass, but when I went to investigate, I saw the security guard with his dog standing outside the squat, looking at the damage.

Within minutes, Orbis (the Sitex people) were on the scene attempting to break into the squat to close it up. The squatters downstairs and two from a neighbouring block were on hand to kick up a massive fuss and stop Orbis and the security from doing their job.

After a few minutes of this, Orbis left, only managing to crowbar off the lock on your door. A couple of squatters went inside to watch the place afterwards, for a few minutes, to make sure nothing else happened to it.

Your ex-squat was very lucky today, with what the neighbours did. After all, Orbis were in the legal right. There was nobody in the squat after all."

Yes, that's right, there was nobody in the squat. Nobody manning the "staying in" hours. It was fortunate I was on my way to the estate that afternoon anyway and was able to assess the damage straight away. I was both annoyed and disheartened to hear that nobody was in the squat during all of this.

Here is the front door area now -- note the missing Legal Warning.

The front bedroom window from the inside.

Fortunately, nothing was stolen or damaged. But the reality that the squat could've been closed down today and the housemates evicted before they'd even had the chance to collect their stuff -- very close call. No one could've predicted the events at "my" squat today, Kitchen Sink Neighbour later noted. It has shaken us all.

Chopped Potato : Paper trail

Here is that "notice to quit" letter (with our flat number and name of the housing officer blurred out):

Talk to the dog

Since the beginning of the year, the local estate has been patrolled by security guards from Force 1 Security. Their purpose: to stop squatters breaking into new places.

A very specific purpose, that. So watertight that it means that when junkies lurk in the stairwell or attempt to steal waterpipes -- so-called security DO NOTHING.

And when they do do something vis a vis their role on the estate, they're a bit slow getting to it. Hiring bulky Polish guys to run after squatters or step to it with break-ins just doesn't work. But then, whose ever heard of a lithe security guard anyway?

When not limping into action, the guards indulge in the following:

* Sit in their cars all day whilst parked in various lots on the estate. Sometimes they'll park their cars together, like a mini auto-meet.

* Allow their guard dog a very brief respite from being cooped up in the car pen. Yes, their dogs were left in their cars during the recent London heatwave.

Their lack of dog training has meant that guards frequently drag their dogs by the lead, as witnessed by many squatters; one incident reportedly saw a guard force his dog to walk over broken glass! Said dogs aren't really guard dogs either, just playful German shepherds happy to catch sticks and enjoy the breeze. Hired no doubt because they look like mean dogs.

* Sometimes pair the dogs off with each other in a kind of manly "my dog growls louder than yours" type stand-off battle. Probably good for guard manhood or something.

* Test the limits of their personal carbon footprint. ie, park in the parking lot, then drive out. Then reverse park back in. Then drive out, go around the block. Return, park. Drive out. Etc.

* And occasionally look mean, with their jackboots and muzzled canines.

Wow, we feel secure.

Steeling our neighbourhood

To prevent new squatters from taking any of the six empty properties on the first floor, the council has taken the following action..

Yes, they have sealed off access to the entire floor -- with Sitex.

Just when we were starting to miss seeing fresh new Sitex again in our everyday lives.

Look here:

And on the opposite side:

Two unique viewpoints transformed by Sitex into a giant cheese grater.

To stop any attempt from squatters on the second floor to access this floor, the council has also encased part of the gangway with... more Sitex.

Note the black anti-climb paint on the edges of the metal.

They have also brought back the practice of latching Sitex onto the windows that face out into the street, a tactic they haven't used in a long time on this estate (when we arrived, very few of the newer empties were treated this way).

According to Kitchen Sink Neighbour, this renewed tactic was in response to a rumour doing the rounds of squatters who were planning to jump up onto the balconies to open squats and thus evade the dog patrols. Rumours no doubt heard by the security guards and conveyed to Sitex central.

With 24/7 dog patrols and these Sitex barriers, our block of flats is beginning to resemble the set of a TV crime drama. Which is apt, since living here is a drama in and of itself.

Oh ship

Do you remember Polish Husband? Who assisted us with the roof invaders and gave chase to Kitchen Sink Neighbour's attacker? He and his family have been fine neighbours, just friendly to us squatters from the get go.

Have been? Uh, why?

Because of this.

Yes, Sitex. The family have been moved, to temporary premises in east London. USgal noted that the flat smashing of their home took approximately three hours.

The shipping off of the Polish family has been a surprise. We knew they'd go someday, but their departure is a signal to us that the council is active again, with regards to this block. USgal reports that the single mother family on the second floor have also been relocated. We wonder what move will be made next.

Scotters rights

Legal in England and Wales to squat, but what about Scotland? These empties, in Glasgow, are just too wonderful to ignore and yet...

...you can go to prison for squatting in Scotland, as this snippet of their law shows:

"By the Trespass (Scotland) Act 1865, it is a criminal offence to 'lodge in any premises or encamp on any land which is private property without the consent or permission of the owner or legal occupier'. The maximum penalty is a fine and imprisonment up to 21 days."

As much as you'd like to make use of these abandoned buildings, you sadly can't. What a loss, and very much an eyesore in return.

The gloves are off

Or, in the case of this flat smasher, the gloves were never on in the first place!

Yes, this is your tax dollars at work. What we think are junkies or local kids smashing up bottles in the parking lot turns out to be the council's flat smashers, a team of four chaps this time round, demolishing the contents of a ground-floor flat in the block opposite to ours.

What is most surprising about what this guy is doing is the fact he is wearing his regular clothes to do it -- no protective goggles to shield his eyes from the flying glass, and a BROOM to do the job?! Very technical stuff, obviously.

The guy seems to be enjoying himself too, managing to flash a few grins at local garbage collection men passing by. His entire task lasts 20 minutes tops and there is nothing gentle about it; the net curtains are torn out, the shattering window is swept from the sill onto the grass with this guy's bare hands.

All of which is mesmerising to watch, if a bit disconcerting too. You think I'd be used to a bit of council drama by now, but you never do. It keeps you alert and engaged, if nothing else.

Squatshots, 7

More than six months later, and our liberated house is evolving nicely into the peaceful home we hoped it to be.

Our own "jukebox" (all the furniture here is from a recent church giveaway).

And in the yellow corner…

Our living room has gone the way of the fairies.

The blind leading the kitchen.

Hallway, show us your lits.

A view with a room.

The roof is in the pudding

Here is Lad, a neighbouring squatter, demonstrating earlier how easy it is to access the rooftop hatch from our stairwell.

The hatch is unlocked; anyone can climb up.

We all hope the padlock installed tonight will deter the thieves.

Extreme skipping

Is this extreme skipping?

Peering down over our gangway balcony, Kitchen Sink Neighbour and us quietly observe a local Russian junkie, trawling meticulously through the council block trash. He is sifting to the point of almost falling in just to scrape the very dirt from the floor of the bins.

What is he looking for?

Scrap metal to sell for cash.

He's not the only one after scrap. Later, Kitchen Sink Neighbour tells us she overheard the junkie pointing out to a family of Roma which flats were empty in our block.

As scrap metal selling is an ordinary way to make a living in Roma culture, the empties here must seem like a goldmine. But of course, their presence represents a danger to our neighbourhood.

After all, making a living is one thing (and we're not condemning their cultural choices); but complete strangers coming onto your estate and stealing metal out of flats is another. Not just that, but the theft of water pipes usually causes the flooding of properties beneath the flat being stripped, as a ground-floor flat here discovered on Tuesday.

The scrap thieves need to know this block of flats is not empty and that they can't come here. Except, who's to know when they will come.

It seems like our council block never seems to catch a break. The junkie squat finally shuts down and within days the baton of trouble has passed to scrap metal strippers. Not a way to start the weekend.

Is that the way to do it?

Emptying council estates being reclaimed as short-term rented properties for professional artists?

Poplar HARCA and the Bow Arts Trust seem to think so.

Many of east London's council estates due for redevelopment are facing regeneration limbo at the moment, thanks to bankrupt local authorities and the laborious planning process they were already enduring. The absence of rebuild news has left council estates scarred with boarded-up flats and their communities broken and confused.

In the case of the Bow Arts Trust, Poplar HARCA has agreed to hand them the most derelict flats on their estates, which are in turn rented by professional artists who convert them into short-term livable home/studio spaces. This arrangement ensures that estates are populated (and kept out of the hands of squatters) up until demolition time comes.

I had the opportunity today to meet the chief executive of the Bow Arts Trust and one of the artists, a graduate from Slade, to discuss the project. Our energetic conversation took place on the 24th floor of Balfron Tower (see photo below), whose sister building you might recognise as the Trellick in Notting Hill, and is one of the estates up for redevelopment in 3-4 years' time (in this case, refurbishment rather than demolition).

During our two hours together, we discussed all manner of project value, not only to the existing residents and the local community but also to the future economy and the prospect of creating London's first arts quarter. My interview for the Londonist will be posted here shortly, but you can probably tell I am rather taken with this project.

Think about it: the possibility of paying an affordable rent and live/work as a creative person without the compromises that ludicrous amounts of rent creates; and without having to squat in order to survive this city. I'm in favour of that. Could this project be a bridge between rent paying and squatting? If so, is this the way to do it?

Make shift

Alley-surfed furniture is one thing -- and definitely something that continually amazes us as to how many fixable and in-good-nick items are left out in the street. But making your own furniture from random resources lying about in your own home? This is definitely exciting territory.

Responding to my request for his expertise in building a desk, our friend Italianarchitect popped by today to begin the job. Combining the doors of an unused MDF-made wardrobe that we had dumped in the living room with a gorgeous piece of painted wood as raw material, we worked together with saws and a cordless drill to create this:

Solid, sturdy and just fantastic to look at and use. The first of many furniture-building adventures in the squat, we hope.

Squatdoyouthink, 4 : Myriam

What motivates an artist to show their work in a squat gallery rather than a gallery gallery? I caught up with Myriam, one of the exhibiting artists at Section6's recent show, for her thoughts.

How did you come to be involved with Section6?

I was looking for opportunities to exhibit my paintings and came across the artist/theatre section on Gumtree where I saw Section6's call for work, in particular asking artists if they would like to exhibit in a disused space. I sent them a couple of photos of my paintings and everything went from there.

Why exhibit in a squat than, say, a gallery?

Exhibiting in a squatted space gives you freedom to do what you want with it. There are no restrictions or anyone who tells you what is possible and what is not. You are independent from "art trends", the selection processes from galleries and curators and what the mainstream public wants. Of course there are a wide variety of galleries here in London, but unless you are lucky enough to have an exhibition opportunity or pay a decent amount of money, it isn't easy to get your art out there.

Another factor is that we can attract people who may not be inclined towards art because of those restrictions I mentioned. There are no stiff boundaries when you see art in a squat as opposed to commercial gallery spaces.

Are you also squatting yourself?

I used to live in squats in Germany many years ago, but I am renting now in London. The thought of squatting again has crossed my mind, thanks to the unbelievably high rents in this city. Studio or workshop places are also way too expensive and the waiting lists for affordable spaces are endless.

What is your definition of squatting?

Squatting means the reclaiming of unused spaces and remaking their use in a positive way. I think using them as temporary art spaces, for example, is a great way of doing this.

Where else have you shown?

Section6 was my second exhibition. Before that, I was involved in a group exhibition in a London gallery.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am originally from Germany and was living in New Zealand for three years, before moving to London in 2007 to study fine art. Painting is my favourite medium and I consider myself as an intuitive painter. Most of my works are painted in abstract terms and I see them as representations of people's fears, nightmares and their "hidden darker side". I am currently living in east London.

For more information about Myriam's work, please check out her Myspace page.

Squa(rt)?

A squat opened exclusively for a gallery? Section6 seems to think so. A not-for-profit organisation founded by two art graduates, Section6 puts together exhibitions in reclaimed spaces, with the aim of uniting art with the everyday world.

Here are some photographs from their opening night tonight.

Certainly is an interesting take. Questions that spring to mind: would the general public find squatting more acceptable if squats housed art instead of people? Would you even call an art gallery squat squatting?