Tardis Project 2019

We started the year off doing workshops in Kinning Park complex, Evenings in Galgael boatbuilders. Introducing folks to open source technology, computer coding and building some small solar panel gadgets that could be used at home to save money. Along with putting on events, films and discussions around the commons, parks, building weather stations, gadgets, fixing things with the Repair Cafe and encouraging our green space to be looked at as part of an important eco system and as a place for enjoyment as well as looking at the Community Empowerment act and how it relates to these kinds of activities

We contributed to the The Swap Market, in events on Crypto currencies and block chain at Chain Re: Action event at Platform Easterhouse, and with a project building a Humanifesto for Glasgow. We held events and discussions at The Space London road and Kinning park complex, while at Free Wheel North in Glasgow Green we starting to developing a container workshop space to house the rickshaw/Tardis. 

We supported a group looking to build a Co-housing project in Maryhill and other tenants groups throughout Glasgow by filming and discussion. We worked with the Spirit of Revolt archive in the Mitchell library, on history walks, and towards a May Day project for kids, craft work and electronics with the Woodcraft folk, and local people, at Free Wheel North. 

We worked on a project on the history of the 1915 Glasgow rent strikes, along with re-enactments of the personalities of the strikes with “The Strong Women of Govan group” We also produced a video time-lining the 1925 rent strikes to the present day, through walks discussion and a film shown at the Centre for Contemporary arts, which was well received.  

Over the summer we took the opportunity to speak to young folk during the music festivals at Glasgow Green on the commons and global warming issues, using the community rickshaw. We started converting our community rickshaw into a cargo bike and it has been used by different projects for events. We now have two. Our community rickshaw project was used at different events decorated with the appropriate livery for the message being presented. >

The two places we originally planed to be based at, GalGael in Govan and the Kinning Park complex, didn’t quite work out. One through lack of space for equipment and the other closing for renovation. After looking around we found a space at Free Wheel North which worked out well as the ethos of FWN is tailor made to fit with our own.

Over the summer we developed a working partnership of creating a workshop space to accommodate what the group was doing and extending the work of both groups to overlap through cycling, engineering, access, open source as well as hosting events, around and open air workshops on design, technology, drone photography, history, craft work and bike conversion.

The move to the Glasgow Green also saw us connecting with the West Boathouse rejuvenation project and on-going ideas about workshops on archeology, wild life, the flora and fauna the history of the river as well as a survey for better use of the river and its important place in the history and presence of the communities that stretch the length of its banks. On our move to the Green we started to see ourselves more valuable as a support group, rather than just making things. We seemed to get more done helping folk out with their problems and technological difficulties.

When we set out to build our Tardis we always laid out the process of the idea was the important part, rather than a physical manifestation of a police box. It has been an interesting adventure where our Tardis became a shipping container workshop in the Glasgow Green with a three wheeled rickshaw as the time travel component.

Probably the best part of the project was having to re-establish a working space because we had to use our imagination and all of the ideas we planned to share with folk in the process. Not only for the duration of the project but in creating an ongoing development space to continue sharing knowledge and building common good awareness. So I would say over the year and with the added extension, we now have a more permanent space to work in and develop, The Social Energy Collective.