Final Intervention Video and Debrief

Today, we staged the final intervention of our project ‘The Politics of Work and Leisure’. The aim of this intervention was to create a pop-up autonomous area, free from the soul destroying monotony of work and technology, and explore the possibilities for real leisure, outside of work. We wanted participants to feel a sense of “liberation from all economic responsibility, liberated from all the debts and responsibilities from the past and other people” and to reclaim the concept of leisure time for themselves. Unlike when in the workplace, participants were welcome to stay for or as long as they desired. The zone was symbolic and effectively represented the liberation from work.

Location – We chose to stage our intervention in a Garden: a therapeutic space usually associated with leisure time.

Results – The overwhelming majority of participants, including ourselves, noted that after spending a considerable amount of time in the zone, it began to feel like work. Despite creating an autonomous space, we could not escape work. As Lefebvre suggests, “the workplace is all around the house; work is not separate from the everyday life of the family”. Even in a space of an autonomous space, in this sense leisure is the escape from work, due to the trainings of our everyday, our leisure has become dependent on what Lefebvre calls ‘Leisure Machines’. These Leisure Machines reinforce the continuation of work, such as facebook and social networking, within our free time. Leisure should be about relaxation, about taking a break from the grind of work. However in reality, we struggle for real Leisure time, and to avoid the continuation of work in these hours.Our intervention has highlighted how Leisure time, under capitalism has become alienated, and dependent on and arranged around work. The two are intrinsically linked.



Nadia, Maxi, Natalie, Miles and Cam - Group 5

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