CCRN Don't Drop the Dumbells 5.11.12

8/8/2019 CCRN Don't Drop the Dumbells 5.11.12

1/6

Don't Drop the Dumbells: Improper,

Almost Illegal, and 'Other'

Creativity in Liverpool City Centre

Daniel Hartley/Sad Professor

The University of Liverpool/a.P.A.t.T./ DDTD/ Probe Plus

Danielhartley.blogspot.com

apatt.com


2/6

Strategies and Tactics; Proper places;

spaces of multiplicity; spatial-temporal

images

DDTD operates in a space of multiplicity (Hjorth2001): Liverpool, where proper notions of creativity

dominate. It is situated amongst proper places,power relations, business strategies, and legalstructures, where boundaries of control are alwaysshifting. We are not a corporate body, but instead a

group of different musical entrepreneurs whooperate tactically at a small scale and without a placeof power. We make the most from the space.

This paper presents spatial images of being-in-

business (Penrose 1959)


3/6

Image 1: a space traced by power relations and legal strategies. We highlight a body of 'creative'

discourse, emphasise our experience, and name our private parties to authorise ourselves and

enable a potentially forbidden tactic to pass. We create a deceptive aesthetic to what we do and

invent space for ourselves in relation to this proper place and proper strategy. Knowing what was

proper, we can operate tactically and exploit the space.

Jamie: What does the owner think about the events and the bar?

Jake: He doesn't know that we're running it..it's the same thing. That's the other thing we needed

clarified, the reason we wanted everybody here to get this thing established. What it is, and what

we can say we're doing and why we're doing it and anything else...As far as the owner knows,

there's bands rehearsing here. It's a group of creative people- he likes creative people- alright, he's

not a perfect bastard... As an overall thing, we make films..we're making a music film, we're making

a film, a music film- he doesn't really understand the ins and outs of that [Everybody laughs].

We've been doing it for ten years.... This is the conversation I have with him. He's good with it. He

likes it. He's interested. Sort of. [Laughs] So he doesn't know what we're running... But we're

not...we're running, which is what we need to kind of forget is..we're not running an illegal venue-

we've got a load of space, and every now and then we can put on an event, cleverly, as a private

party...


4/6

Image 2: A space traced by proper law (licensing) that supports established places of power with proper epistmic

certainty. Our tactics exploit the impermanence and opportunity of the space.

Raffle ticket tactics enable us to insinuate space into the proper place and bypass strategy

A straw name gives Post Music some space so we can still provide booze.

Naming our activities a gathering authorises what we do by situating us in an 'other' space- that of creative

discourse, and by mystifying and renaming business as something else.

Steve: There was this time when you said something and it just clicked. We'd want to have to the Post Music Club name when it 's.. proper,

and when you've got a license and it's legal. I'm ok with that.[] I know I can definitely get rid of them that night, but the problem is, if

it goes through and they put the allegation in that we were having an illegal bar, and I'm to blame..What's the next step after that?

That's my question.[] We've got enough evidence to back it up- and we seriously have- our blag is a good one. []But It's imperative

that every single event isn't an event, it is a party, it's a gathering, and everything that is coming in is donation based, the booze is

donation based, and if there is a small profit, it just goes back into the next event, which is just filming- everything is an event that

we're doing behind closed doors

Jake: One way to sort this out, I know it's a wacky scheme, but the Post Music money!

Genevieve: You're allowed to sell raffle tickets that win you a prize, of a can at the bar. It sounds stupid, but basically it can be that 'Oh

yeah, your number has won you a can, which can would you want?' and they're not buying a drink off you, they're buying a raffle

ticket off you, so you're not selling on. There's a loop hole with raffle tickets specifically.


5/6

Image 3- Online public space:

Our proper front operates as a tactical appearance. The narration coordinates how we should be

judged.

Paragraph 1: Coordinates a historically good space; insinuates power relations

Paragraph 2: Assembles historical value; invents temporal spaces of possibility; insinuates DDTD

as intermediary between images of positive spatial change

Blog narrative operates as a spatial synecdoche that emphasises us being in the right


6/6

Ambiguity of creativity: for upstart creative spaces, or for established

places of power?

DDTD operates creatively because hegemonic proper notions of

creativity and proper creative strategies are power ridden. We

create within, around, and through proper places

Legalism: we operate close to the law, and 'proper' images of creativity

Places of power and strategy help us invent tactics and authorise

ourselves we need properness to imagine and be legit

Even if our creativity isn't proper, we still invent forms of value and

feel right about what we do

Documents

CCRN Don't Drop the Dumbells 5.11.12