BLACKPOOL STANDS BETWEEN US AND REVOLUTION: Taking Pleasure in Working-Class Britain

In 1961, director Joan Littlewood and architect Cedric Price began putting together the plans for a laboratory of leisure, a new kind of public structure, what they called the “Fun Palace.” As the original blueprint put it: “dance, talk or be lifted up to where you can see how other people make things work. Sit out over space with a drink and tune in to what’s happening elsewhere in the city. Try starting a riot or beginning a painting – or just lie back and stare at the sky.”

A place of education and a place of play, the fun palace sought to combine the energies of the working man’s club with those of the public garden and the funfair. It was to be an environment that emphasised working-class people’s capacity to stretch out, soak up ideas, and above all, take pleasure for themselves.

The Fun Palace was never built, but sixty years on, the kind of cultural atmosphere that made it seem even briefly possible is almost unimaginable to us. Working-class life is periodically positioned as far away as possible from the impulses of love, sensuality, and pleasure-taking itself. How did this happen? Why does it matter? And more importantly, how can we change it?

This lecture will draw on several of the artists featured in Lives Less Ordinary, alongside contemporary writings, pieces of popular culture, and political histories, in an attempt to sketch out a new story about the place of pleasure in working-class Britain.

Jennifer Jasmine White is a writer from the north-west of England. She is currently a doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester, where she also teaches. Her current project revolves around the cultural history of working-class femininity in Britain. Jennifer has written on culture and politics for publications such as the Financial Times, New Statesman, Tribune, and Vittles. You can find more about Jennifer and her work at www.jenniferjasminewhite.com.

 

Doors open from 6.30pm. Talk starts 7pm. The talk will last around an hour including time for questions.

Limited spaces available, booking essential. Please join the waitlist if the event is sold out. Book tickets via Eventbrite or through us directly by emailing info@twotempleplace.org or phoning 0207 836 3715.

This event has been programmed as part of a series of events to accompany the exhibition Lives Less Ordinary. For more public events, please click here.

For information on how to plan your visit, please check the Visit Us page.

*Please note that we are a small organisation. If you want to cancel your ticket within 1 week of the event, we can’t offer a refund but will try to transfer your ticket to a similar event in the future. If cancelling 48 hours before the event, we are unable to offer a refund or transfer your ticket. If you request a refund at any time, you will be charged a fee by Eventbrite.

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