London’s ‘public’ spaces are not as free as they seem

Pivot Points: Stories of Change — Huck photographer Tom Jamieson goes for a wander through the squares of London where the lines between public and private space are starting to blur.

London’s ever-changing landscape is not in itself news. The city seems to reinvent itself on a near-daily basis. But over the last two decades a new phenomenon has emerged – though you’d be excused for having missed it.

As huge areas of the city have been re-developed, great swathes of previously common land have been privatised and sold off to corporations. These ‘pseudo-public’ spaces are everywhere – and they aren’t as ‘free’ as they seem.

Guardian Cities recently published a map identifying 50 such spaces in London, but there are countless more. This is a trend not seen in the city since the 17th century when segregated and sealed-off areas existed in certain areas of London.

Despite their outward appearance – lovely looking squares with nice little features like benches and fountains – these areas are not public spaces. Instead they are governed by their own opaque rules, which vary from site to site depending on the whims of corporate owners.

In some areas, selfies are banned. In others, you aren’t allowed to nap. Most withhold the right to stop all political demonstrations, as was seen in the 2011 eviction of Occupy protesters from Paternoster Square, private land owned by the Mitsubishi Estate. But these rules are seldom, if ever, made public or delivered in a transparent way.

I first became aware of these spaces through skateboarding. Growing up skating in London, you get used to being told to move on, not by police or other civil bodies but by privately hired guards. These areas are just another example of control being exercised over ‘free space’ – and I mean that in the widest possible sense.

It’s happening everywhere, from not being allowed to snooze in the park, to the internet no longer being the free space we were brought up to believe it could be. It’s happening in every aspect of our lives.

To dig further, I decided to go for a walk. My first destination is City Hall and the 13-acre More London estate, owned by the sovereign wealth fund of Kuwait. The square is littered with people taking naps during their lunch break, a potential offence depending on the land owners’ rules.

Every bench is lined with ‘skate stoppers’, a frequent sight in most public areas much to the annoyance of skateboarders across the UK.

02_Jamieson_PaternosterSquare_Web

At Paternoster Square next to St Paul’s, there’s a large television screen blasting out corporate messages, table tennis and what appears to be multiple guards on patrol. At Granary Square, on the Kings Cross estate, the story is much the same.

Security guards wander around while families with children run through the fountains. People sit around on benches that are designed to stop anyone from falling asleep. It’s a bizarre mixed message that seems to welcome people in, but only for so long and on somebody else’s terms.

As a photographer, my job is to push beyond surface scenes like these and find a moment that holds a broader message. In this instance, a smartphone was more unobtrusive than a camera and allowed me to operate below the radar. I wanted to explore how these spaces feel and how they make people behave.

I was also looking for private surveillance features, examples of what is known as ‘defensive architecture’: CCTV cameras, benches specially designed to prevent homeless people sleeping on them, and those annoying little metal knobs that ruin perfectly skateable features.

03_Jamieson_GranarySquareIt’s only when I got home, and started manipulating what I had shot, that things began to click. I created the images as hi-res RAW files and then turned them into a collage, combining various elements I found interesting into one final frame.

In making these images, and manipulating what I saw, I’m reaching for a deeper truth. You’re not supposed to notice tools of control – security cameras, skate stoppers or the cleaners walking around with earpieces in their ears. You’re not supposed to question why everything is disguised in this horrible corporate fluffiness, with TV screens and deck chairs placed next to office blocks. Our environment is being fundamentally changed, and not everyone is welcome. Maybe it’s time we opened our eyes.

Pivot Points: Stories of Change from Huck Photographers are shot entirely on the KODAK EKTRA Smartphone, a 21 megapixel camera with 4K video capability.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.