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The Art of Dissent (Marshgate Press, 2012)
Co-edited with Hilary Powell, The Art of Dissent: Adventures in London’s Olympic State brings together artists, writers, film makers, academics, photographers and activists that intervene in the dominant discourse, language and images of regeneration and the Games. It examines both the political economy of the mega-event and the silenced history of Lower Lea valley, and makes a powerful case against the politics of erasure and the corporatisation of urban space.

"The contributors gathered in this volume have refused their role as recipients and spectators of the Olympic-led transformation and acted in myriad ways – subtle, militant, analytical, passionate – upon the arrival of the Olympic machine in the East End of London. In doing so, they have challenged a key element in the production of consensus around the Games: the division between those who may speak and those who may not, between that which can be discussed and that which cannot. This is a book made of words that were not meant to be heard, images that were not supposed to be seen – a slit in the consensual space of London 2012." (Excerpt from the introduction, by the editors.)

Read a review published in The Guardian. 

The book came out of, and contributed to, a network of engaged artists committed to creating public discussion around the impact of the Olympics. You can read more about it in the blog ‘the militant city’. 



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