Party politics

Andrew White investigates Space Hijacking, an anarchic movement that holds parties on tube trains and views politics as a game of cricket.

By Andrew White

In 1999, a group calling themselves the Space Hijackers held a party in the carriages of a Circle Line train on the London Underground. The driving force behind it was to change the users’ preconceptions about how the Tube carriages should be used.

The original Circle Line Party concept involved the idea that party–goers should dress as commuters, with fancy dress underneath the surface, in order to avoid alerting London Underground employees, or indeed the British Transport Police.

Between stops the costumes should be revealed and the carriages decorated, and real commuters made to feel included. A banner on the third CLP proclaimed: “If you think they are here by mistake then why haven’t you given them a beer yet?”

Unlikely looking grey–suit–wearing commuters have been known to join in with the revelry during Circle Line parties, drinking tequila for as many laps of the line as possible until the Underground has closed. Later parties have included pole-dancing using handrails, samba bands, knitting, nudity and general chaos, including police, suspension of train services, and the closure of a station.

According to their website, the Space Hijackers “oppose the way that users of space are being put under increasing scrutiny and control by those who own or run it…” One of their projects – The A-Z of Retail Trickery – illustrates this concept of manipulating space perfectly. The techniques employed by retail chains to make you buy more than you otherwise would are incredible. The smell of fresh bread in more supermarkets than you would think is completely artificial. All the baking is done first thing in the morning before the shop even opens. That’s assuming they even bake the bread in your local branch.

Tiles on the floor in some shops are sized so that they are smaller in the more expensive aisles. This may seem strange at first, but according to Robin Priestley (who took shoppers on a tour around the Birmingham Bullring demonstrating the techniques), as you push your trolley around the aisles, the wheels click at a certain rate. As soon as you enter an aisle with smaller floor–tiles (and more expensive items for sale) the wheels click faster, subconsciously you feel you are going faster, and your natural response is to slow down, spending more time perusing expensive items.

These things may seem shocking, but it is common practice. Obviously you aren’t told because it would completely remove the point of the exercise.

The Space Hijackers represent the lighter side of anarchism. Realising that preaching at people, going to protest marches and handing out leaflets rarely achieves anything useful, their projects tend to be fun and, as with the Circle Line Party, engage the public – hopefully without them realising they are actually participating.

Space Hijackers isn’t strictly one unit in the manner my description might suggest. In fact what makes them a bit special is the way in which Space Hijacker agents are encouraged to create their own manipulation of their local public space without everything being dictated by a leader or core group. Anything an agent does independently can be sent in for inclusion on the website, after all. A Space Hijacker is merely a person who liberates public space.

The term ‘Anarchitecture’ has been coined to describe their field, and the Space Hijackers call themselves ‘Anarchitects’ to highlight their rejection of the control that architects and town planners try to impose upon them.

Part of the obsession with public space stems from a realisation that up and down the country (and around the world), towns are becoming scarily similar with local shops being replaced by chain stores, town squares being commercialised, and Starbucks driving coffee shops and tea rooms out of business. Queen Street in Cardiff could be from any town in the country, for example.

On the May 1 2005, the Space Hijackers gathered on Parliament Square – next to the Houses of Parliament – having delivered a letterto each Member of Parliament challenging them to a cricket match, and accusing them of behaving in an ungentlemanlike and dishonourable manner. This behavior consisted of putting the wishes of corporations over the needs of the public or environment; obscuring the real motives for going to war in Iraq; ID cards; forcing through legislation banning protest wherever possible.

This last point was particularly apt. Before the match, the Space Hijackers were contacted by the Greater London Authority telling them that their match would “…be in breach of the Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Garden Byelaws 2000 and [the Space Hijackers] may be prosecuted.”

A legal professional advised the Space Hijackers that this was rubbish, an empty threat, and that the cited sections of the legislation did not apply in their case. “It isn’t a protest, it’s a cricket match.

“A decline of our challenge will be seen by us and the entire British Public as acceptance that you are the morally and honourably corrupt government that we suspect. We shall see you at the pitch.” Cricket had been chosen as it was seen to be honourable, unlike, according to the Space Hijackers the Government’s behaviour: “Going to war in Iraq was ‘Not Cricket’.”

Out of over 600 MPs contacted, 10 Labour MPs, 5 Conservatives and no Liberal Democrats replied. None of them were writing to accept the challenge. Some of the MPs at least wrote amusing replies, which can be read online.

On the day, no MPs turned up. The Space Hijackers didn’t let that get in the way of making a point and having a good time. A pavilion was assembled, tea and cucumber sandwiches served to members of the public, a rather large quantity of Pimm’s consumed (so much for anti–consumerism), and cricket played, sometimes in the form of anarchist cricket, which can be played with no score and no umpire. The police did turn up at one point, only to have a short conversation before disappearing again.

As with many other of the Space Hijackers’ events, the afternoon faded into an alcohol–induced haze. Typical of their relaxed attitude, their planning meetings are held in a pub, which may explain a lot of the slightly unorthodox ideas they come up with for events. The Space Hijackers are unlike anarchist groups along the lines of the Wombles, with members going to protests seemingly with the aim of beating policemen and being taken into custody. Instead you will find a welcoming group of people who have sound ideas behind their actions yet want to achieve sustainable change reasonably within the confines of law and decency.

Becoming an ‘Anarchitect’

• The Space Hijackers were set up in 1999, as a group that opposes the ‘hierarchy that is put upon us by architects, planners and owners of space.
• You can apply to become an official space hijacker agent at www.spacehijackers.co.uk. Successful applicants gain access to private sections of the site involving information on equipment, files and events.
• If you fancy taking part in a Space Hijackers event, you might want to attend “Brighton to London Crazy Golf,” on the 1st of April (despite the date, it isn’t a trick). More information on events can be found on their website.