Day 8 (2nd March)
My schedule today is to
- Go on a behind the scenes tour of Luton Town F.C.
- Take my laundry to the laundrette
- Check in with Quiet Down There on the phone
- Go to Next Generation Youth Theatre's dance rehearsals for their forthcoming performance Laced within our Borders
This is me prepared for the day (orange jacket ready for my tour round Luton F.C)
It was my birthday on Sunday - 35! So I was in London celebrating. But now I'm back... a little tired but ready for my second week in Luton.
This week I want to return more to the central question of this residency - joy. In particular I want to think about collective joy - what it means to share joy with others. This is in part inspired by a podcast (thanks to artist Chloe Cooper who will be doing a future residency with QDT for the reminder) by Jem Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn who discuss collective joy as part of their occasional podcast ACFM on Novara Media.
http://novaramedia.com/2019/05/07/acfm-collective-joy/
The podcast starts with a question - when was the last time you experienced collective joy? They talk about raves, and protests - some of the more obvious things that might come to mind for people (on the political left), but then they say that perhaps you can you get collective joy through a library and from doing yoga.
Key to their ideas is a critique of neoliberalism, which makes it difficult for people to experience collective joy. It (neoliberalism) ‘wants us to experience the world in such a way that the only kind of joy we know is the joy of private consumption’.
So with that in mind... onto todays visit (I will be returning to the podcast later!)
First up is the visit to Luton Town F.C for a behind the scenes tour. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what a treat. Our tour guide Graham is a massive fan of the club, and has attended all or most of the home games over the last 35 years. He volunteers his time to give these tours. Joining us is a couple of men from Denmark and Sweden who are touring lots of football grounds in UK (maybe they're writing a blog too?) and another couple one of which is a long time fan of Luton Town.
So onto the good stuff. The gems on the tour are pretty immediate. Firstly the corridor full of every team photo (apart from one missing year in the 1920s) - they are lovely team photos - showing difference in age through the team's kit, hairstyles, and black and white images through to the more recent colour images. Then onto the Eric Morecambe bar - a great old bar full of charm and lots of pictures of Eric Morecambe.
Then at some point we go to the changing rooms - getting a proper inside look. There is 'genuine mud on the floor' Graham says 😂and there is a smell of sweat that immerses me momentarily in the speed and intensity of the game, and creates a sudden contrast with the pace of our nosying around. Then through to the baths. And thats where I learn something new. Football teams like collective baths! Brilliant.
This picture does not do it justice. I love the design, the big LT tiled up in black creating a strong contrast with the white. I think its pretty joyful both visually and because of what it's for. Architecture for collective joy?!
In a recent podcast on Novara (sorry again) the writer and journalist Owen Hatherley discusses socialism and architecture, and how theres been a 40 year assault in the UK, on buildings with communal infrastructure - there are dozens of examples still found in Vienna or Berlin. He says in the UK today you have to look towards projects made by hippys and anarchists - the idealists - where its possible to find more examples of intentional communality built into housing projects (he references Lilac Co housing in Leeds). https://soundcloud.com/novaramedia/novarafm-how-we-might-live-architecture-and-culture
But has he been thinking of communal baths in football clubs?
We move on to the away teams bathroom, and I realise Luton must know that the bath brings collective joy as they have stopped the away team from having one.
Big on my mind on our trip is the proposed redevelopment of the club. Graham is inspirational in his attitude towards this, saying the club needs to move on. The reality is he says that the club needs to make money and their small hospitality rooms won't provide the money they need to keep going. They also need to provide more seats. I'm interested in how these smaller clubs sustain themselves in an era of mega bucks football. The closure of Bury club last year, showed how vulnerable clubs are to the economy. I later find out that Luton used to financially sustain itself in part because it owned the row of houses behind the grounds, as well as the grounds itself, (which was sold to the local council). Now it doesn't have the same assets and ticket sales and hospitality are vital.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/aug/27/bury-and-bolton-two-of-englands-oldest-clubs-face-tuesday-expulsion
Its clear from talking to Graham how important the club is to him. He tells me that he has thought about moving away now he is retired but whats stopped him is Luton F.C. 'There won't be a dry eye in the house' on the last game at the ground. I ask Graham whether he has met many people over the years - of course - theres people who come and sit in the same seat week after week. I can see when we are walking round how well he knows the grounds. There is a moment when we walk round the side of the pitch that Graham says - be careful that corners always a little bit soggy. Its strikes me that its in part an awareness of these funny details that make these public spaces so personal and like home. I notice the handmade supporters signs hanging up. Even the stairs where the away side fans come in - you can see into the houses of the neighbours next door.
I think back to the podcast about collective joy. In it Keir Milburn talks about collective joy he feels at a football match - the chanting, the feeling when your team is doing well, and the hugs with complete strangers. The value of the community of fans is massive and I can really see this here.
My schedule today is to
- Go on a behind the scenes tour of Luton Town F.C.
- Take my laundry to the laundrette
- Check in with Quiet Down There on the phone
- Go to Next Generation Youth Theatre's dance rehearsals for their forthcoming performance Laced within our Borders
This is me prepared for the day (orange jacket ready for my tour round Luton F.C)
---
It was my birthday on Sunday - 35! So I was in London celebrating. But now I'm back... a little tired but ready for my second week in Luton.
This week I want to return more to the central question of this residency - joy. In particular I want to think about collective joy - what it means to share joy with others. This is in part inspired by a podcast (thanks to artist Chloe Cooper who will be doing a future residency with QDT for the reminder) by Jem Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn who discuss collective joy as part of their occasional podcast ACFM on Novara Media.
http://novaramedia.com/2019/05/07/acfm-collective-joy/
The podcast starts with a question - when was the last time you experienced collective joy? They talk about raves, and protests - some of the more obvious things that might come to mind for people (on the political left), but then they say that perhaps you can you get collective joy through a library and from doing yoga.
Key to their ideas is a critique of neoliberalism, which makes it difficult for people to experience collective joy. It (neoliberalism) ‘wants us to experience the world in such a way that the only kind of joy we know is the joy of private consumption’.
So with that in mind... onto todays visit (I will be returning to the podcast later!)
So onto the good stuff. The gems on the tour are pretty immediate. Firstly the corridor full of every team photo (apart from one missing year in the 1920s) - they are lovely team photos - showing difference in age through the team's kit, hairstyles, and black and white images through to the more recent colour images. Then onto the Eric Morecambe bar - a great old bar full of charm and lots of pictures of Eric Morecambe.
Then at some point we go to the changing rooms - getting a proper inside look. There is 'genuine mud on the floor' Graham says 😂and there is a smell of sweat that immerses me momentarily in the speed and intensity of the game, and creates a sudden contrast with the pace of our nosying around. Then through to the baths. And thats where I learn something new. Football teams like collective baths! Brilliant.
This picture does not do it justice. I love the design, the big LT tiled up in black creating a strong contrast with the white. I think its pretty joyful both visually and because of what it's for. Architecture for collective joy?!
In a recent podcast on Novara (sorry again) the writer and journalist Owen Hatherley discusses socialism and architecture, and how theres been a 40 year assault in the UK, on buildings with communal infrastructure - there are dozens of examples still found in Vienna or Berlin. He says in the UK today you have to look towards projects made by hippys and anarchists - the idealists - where its possible to find more examples of intentional communality built into housing projects (he references Lilac Co housing in Leeds). https://soundcloud.com/novaramedia/novarafm-how-we-might-live-architecture-and-culture
But has he been thinking of communal baths in football clubs?
We move on to the away teams bathroom, and I realise Luton must know that the bath brings collective joy as they have stopped the away team from having one.
I do a bit more research and find this set of images, https://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2014/apr/09/memory-lane-football-communal-bath-pictures-gallery which show communal baths in use by football teams in the UK through the ages, and these more recent photos https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/26/footballers-celebrating-communal-baths-knowledge-special and article which confirms that sadly this infrastructure is most likely on its way out. Here, the writer proposes that in an era of social media the communal bath might cause some bad publicity for the footballers - I note the players in the last 10 years or so wearing their kits in the bath. I wonder whether the change from the communal bath to the individual showers is something more than just social media and I wonder what might be lost in this change. Is it a heightened fear of communal physicality thats causing it? Being naked together?
Big on my mind on our trip is the proposed redevelopment of the club. Graham is inspirational in his attitude towards this, saying the club needs to move on. The reality is he says that the club needs to make money and their small hospitality rooms won't provide the money they need to keep going. They also need to provide more seats. I'm interested in how these smaller clubs sustain themselves in an era of mega bucks football. The closure of Bury club last year, showed how vulnerable clubs are to the economy. I later find out that Luton used to financially sustain itself in part because it owned the row of houses behind the grounds, as well as the grounds itself, (which was sold to the local council). Now it doesn't have the same assets and ticket sales and hospitality are vital.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/aug/27/bury-and-bolton-two-of-englands-oldest-clubs-face-tuesday-expulsion
Its clear from talking to Graham how important the club is to him. He tells me that he has thought about moving away now he is retired but whats stopped him is Luton F.C. 'There won't be a dry eye in the house' on the last game at the ground. I ask Graham whether he has met many people over the years - of course - theres people who come and sit in the same seat week after week. I can see when we are walking round how well he knows the grounds. There is a moment when we walk round the side of the pitch that Graham says - be careful that corners always a little bit soggy. Its strikes me that its in part an awareness of these funny details that make these public spaces so personal and like home. I notice the handmade supporters signs hanging up. Even the stairs where the away side fans come in - you can see into the houses of the neighbours next door.
---
Lastly... I also had some more joy spotting some orange details around the grounds
