I really like street artists' performances and works, writing my previous article I discovered this collective, The Mutoid Waste Company, since the 80's they created across Europe many artworks using car parts and waste materials. A bunch of post apocalyptic punk gypsies, a life style born in Frestonia in London and end in the Romagna's riviera in Italy.
A jump back in history...London '70
In the late seventies, London was the meeting point of many movements and events, and punk was one of them. In King's Road in Vivienne Westwood's shop the band Sex Pistols was created, by Vivienne and her husband Malcolm McLaren, in Camden town The Clash of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones fired up the crowds and in Freston Road a brand new movement of punk swung into action.
Frestonia:
With its abandoned buildings and factories Freston Road became a sort of paradise for Londoners Squatters, artists and homeless people illegally adopted the empty buildings as their new homes, living and working in there. The honest citizens of London could not stand at the idea of this fatiscent places filled by people of a moral doubt, so in the end of the seventies the Greater London Council made a decision of re qualify the area.
photo credits - Tony Sleep
The community of bohemien, punk and indigent people, had no intention of gave up so easily, guided by Nicholas Albery, one of the residents, who previously visited the Freetown of Christiania, in the danish city of Copenhagen, started the resistance.
First of all they adopted the last name "Bramley" in the hope to be rehoused as an unique big family, then they declared the whole area, a rather big one, between Freston road, Bramley road and Shalfleet drive, which belonged to the London borough of Hammersmith at the time, "The free independent republic of Frestonia. "
photo credits - Tony Sleep
Their motto was : “ Nos Sumus Una Familia - We are All One Family ”
They did all properly, they held a referendum among the 200 occupants, nominated ministries, created post stamp and their own newspaper, the "Tribal Messenger". They submitted a formal request of independence to the ONU and recalled the attention of the worldwide media on their situation. In the end the Council negotiated with the citizens of Frestonia, and the Bramley's house cooperative was formed.
They fought and they won. No response from the United Nations but they still live there, an happy ending indeed. For know more about Frestonia below here there's their official site, with photos and newspaper articles.
The birth of...
In this cauldron of multiculturalism and freedom, in the Car Breaker gallery of Frestonia, Joe Rush, Robin Cooke, Alan P. Scott and Joshua Bowler met and at the beginning of the eighties they settled the bases of the Mutoid waste company.
Quoting Joe Rush "A Mutoid is like a mongoloid, a schizoid, a paranoid. And our method of life is living in a constant state of evolution"
In the early '80 they moved into an abandoned building in King's Cross where they became famous for their legendary illegals parties. We can only imagine the level of craziness of them, with a dub reggae and psychedelic rock soundtrack in the first years until follow in the late 80's the acid house movement. In that old bus depot, the Mutoids transported, with their artworks, the guests in a post apocalyptic world, creating a whole surreal scenario with giant mutant machines capable of move at the rhythm of the music.
One of the original Mutoids and his bike - photo credits https://cargocollective.com
In this ambit, the Mutoids started to create as well their sculptures, using wasted material, mostly metal, car and bike parts, welding and assembling semi-movable sculptures, or modifying motorcycles, cars and van. Inspired by the Mad Max's movies and Judge Dredd comics, their works, post apocalyptic pieces of art, fitted perfectly the disillusion and nihilism of their generation.
There's not much information around the original founders of Mutoid waste company, except Joe Rush, who keep perform and who directed the closing ceremony of 2012 para-Olympics
From Glastonbury to Berlin...
In 1985 The Iron Lady were in charge, people who were not part of the system were automatically against it, The Mutoids were heading to the peace convoy in Stonhenge, where in occasion of the Stonehenge festival they wanted to protest against the U.S. base of Greenham Common and its deposit of nuclear weapons. The police charged the convoy, the festival died and the Mutoids headed to Glastonbury. Driving the skull bus accompanied by "The ride of the Valkyries" they crossed the gates of Glastonbury festival, the first of many participation.
The Skull Bus - photo credits : https://cargocollective.com
In 1987 The Mutoids waste company settled a major installation at the Glastonbury festival, a sort of commemoration of the Stonehenge Festival, "Carhenghe" with old cars instead of stones, an other Mutoids creations, including mechanics dinosaurs all around, in that what Joe Rush defined as an "Apocalyptic Disneyland on acid".
Glastonbury 1987 - photo credits : https://cargocollective.com
Glastonbury 1987 - photo credits : https://cargocollective.com
Glastonbury 1987 - photo credits : https://cargocollective.com
Across Europe! Berlin!
After several raids of the police in their King's Cross headquarters, the Mutoid moved across Europe, to Denmark and Germany, until arrive in Berlin, where the squatter's movement was stronger, due to the economical and socials problems caused by cold war.
Berlin 1989 - photo credits : https://cargocollective.com
Here in 1989 they settled their camp in Goelitzer Banhoff Park and built various sculptures, using as always car an bikes parts. Before leave the city they did a great last performance and showed a giant sculpture made of rail tracks, a big man looking to the other side of the Berlin wall holding a dove, of good auspicious indeed, after few months the wall fell.
Berlin 1989, Tankheage, in the background is visible the Reichstag - photo credits : https://cargocollective.com
Rush went back to Berlin in 1990, all the military waste left around, like planes, trucks and tanks were a perfect material for the Mutoids, joined by various artists they created other amazing works out of this scarp heap.
...Until arrive in Italy
The convoy kept move, France, Spain...until arrive in Italy where a part of the group decided to stay, in Sant' Arcangelo di Romagna. Here in an abandoned quarry, they found "Mutonia" a free community where nowadays after several years from their arrive a whole new generation of Mutoids kept perform and assemble their artworks. They still live in there. Promoting their life style, a different way to live and approach with nature and organizing events.
The Sant’ Arcangelo di Romagna council, in 2013 wanted clean up the area, but after the protest of the citizens, even at national level, which arrived to the Parliament as well, in 2014 the community of Mutonia was declared "Good of the Community" and the request of dismantle the area was rejected.
All ended in the best of the way for the Mutoids, so if you ever been around there you can take a walk in their post apocalyptic world.
I discovered the existence of The Mutoids waste company just few months ago, while I was looking around on the web in search of interesting subject for my tribe and I was very impressed. I absolutely love this kind of stories and what they represent, the idea another world is possible, to live in a different way, unconventional, more free and creative, always fascinated me. I haven't had yet the opportunity to visit Mutonia, but I will as soon as I can, for take photos and talk with the residents and give a bit of hope to that part of myself who always dream about an alternative way to live and what all is possible when people cooperate, as Pink Floyd sang: “Together we stand, divided we fall"
The Mutoids are still active, not only in Italy. In 2000 they did a live exhibition in London and Joe Rush was the art director of the London Paralympic games, they keep travel, create and perform!
A special thanks to Letmiya, who allowed me to use most of the photos on this article, I hope to have do it all correctly.
I start writing this article few months ago, for many reasons I struggled to finish it, meanwhile I visited Mutonia, I hope to be able to publish something about soon.
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