For Solidarity x Document H.E.T.: Les Nouveaux Riches

“The exhibition is also a prehistory of The NewBridge Project and a blueprint for its evolving modes of working. Alternative Undercurrents forms part of For Solidarity, a project launched in 2019 in collaboration with the Solidarity Economy Association to support the development of a ‘network of grass-roots initiatives that are helping people to meet their material and social needs in ways that don’t harm people or the planet.”

“In the room, visitors can use a printer to make their own zines by combining pages from the available models. You can print in different colours, following a set of handwritten instructions. I assumed it would be straightforward, but I made errors. Colours did not align, text became unreadable, and sometimes I reinserted the paper incorrectly, so both sides came out upside down. It was a humbling experience, especially after reading about manual reproduction in the 1970s.”

“The most striking image comes from The Squatter’s Handbook (1975): enlarged to seven feet and mounted on the wall, it shows two men barricading a door. Lifted from the archive and placed in the gallery, the scene feels immediate, as if the action is unfolding in the present.”