Squatting “unlawfully occupy an uninhabited building or settle on a piece of land” OED

Not far from the news at any time, with Occupy and Dale Farm the most prominent, squatting has played a pivotal role in the cultural milieu of Hackney and other London boroughs.  Ownership of buildings and land is often contested, but these days’ squatting is as much about surviving in austere Britain as it is about repealing property law.

Squatting may seem to be a post war phenomenon but there’s evidence of squatting in the area that is now defined as Hackney, as far back as the Middle Ages. The use of London Fields as collective pasture was frequently being disputed.  However, this neighbourhood rose to notoriety when it became a “squatters paradise” in the 1990s.

What has encouraged the rise in squatting today – what are the political, economic and legislative currents that encouraged this, and what is the impact of squatting not just in its immediate locale, but also across our collective culture?  Who should care if it is on the increase?

All this and much more was revelaed in Melissa Bliss’ Squatting and the Common Land walk co-produced by Andrew Stuck at the Museum of Walking.

Melissa Bliss is an artist and long-time Hackney resident. Her work is often created through participatory processes in live interactions, audience participation, conversations and collaborations.

The 90 – 120 minute walk began outside the Hackney Museum on Reading Lane E8 1DQ on Wednesday 4 July 2012.  Participants received their own field journal to record their findings.