A Bonfire

A short vignette sketch of a game-thing in reaction to a collection of stories from residents and activists involved in Sweets Way Resists, made by Hannah Nicklin and George Buckenham.

You can also download a PDF of a zine, edited by Hannah, collecting the transcripts from the interviews, giving a timeline of the occupation, and beautifully edited by Lizzy Stewart.

The game can be played using a mouse. It is a game for listening, please wear headphones, or play in a quiet place. Any questions, ask @hannahnicklin.

About Sweets Way Resists:

In February 2015 a group of residents, facing eviction to make way for the 'regeneration' of their estate, got together with activists from other housing campaigns, and local supporters, to resist their eviction, and the demolition of their 142 homes. On the 28^th of February 2015 a meeting of over 40 people was held, and they collectively decided to occupy part of the estate.

What followed was 7 months of activism at Sweets Way. A large number of people were part of what came to be called Sweets Way Resists. Some tangentially or momentarily, some residents, some activists and legal experts, some from other housing campaigns across London, local supporters, and eventually a band of squatters who formed the connected 'Sweetstopia', also made up of a mix of people and aims.

About making this game:

On the 8^th and 9^th of February 2016 I interviewed a small number of (self selecting) members of Sweets Way Resists, as part of a small R&D project with George Buckenham, supported by a Utopia commission by LIFT and by Arts Council England's Grants for the Arts.

In May, we spent a week thinking through how we could use game tools to tell their stories. This game is one of the small experiments that came out of that week. It can be played using a mouse. It is a game for listening.

We imagine that further development of the idea would include several vignettes – one might be made entirely of the art of the children of the resistance, or focus on Shireen's two boys trying to keep their possessions dry as bailiffs evicted them, or on banner making, or flyering outside the Waitrose. That an installation might be built out of the materials (SITEX, brick, turf) of the estate that housed these small vignettes. It would also probably include better art and actual UIs/menus.