07/05/2026
Every 2nd and 4th Monday, 10 am to 12 noon, I run a "Brew & Do" drop-in at the DanceEast lobby bar.
It's for those of us who usually work from home, particularly people who procrastinate. You bring your laptop and Get Stuff Done, with chat for those who want it, free art and exhibitions to peruse, or you just crack on with your own stuff. Give it a look, as it's totally FREE and the venue is fully accessible for everyone.
So, imagine my delight when I hear that SPILL Festival + Think Tank is hosting "Transactionland" later this month at The Ancient House in Ipswich, from May 21st - 24th and, as part of this, on Sat 23rd it's their "Work Party For Cheats". This is described as "a communal space for getting the stuff done that you just can’t get done."
They go on to say:
"In two hours we endeavour to resolve as many unfinished tasks as we can, using all the skills and energy in the room to swap, steal and cheat our way out of our stuck-ness. Because doing other people’s work is easier than doing your own work, and collective satisfaction is better than individual smuggery."
"Bring any unfinished or unresolved task, along with anything you think might be useful in resolving it. Maybe you don’t have the skills or don’t have time, or it's something you are just avoiding because it’s boring or complicated. Feel free to bring something even if you think it’s impossible to be solved by "collective cheating."
This is a collaborative workshop in a relaxed and friendly space, aimed at problem-solving and encouraging you to finish your tasks. In previous Work Parties, people have proofread, written budgets, written to pen pals, finished a painting, made a birthday card, given feedback on a novel, toilet-trained a puppy, researched impenetrable jargon, shortlisted applications, come up with fundraising ideas, fixed a website, learned about human skin cells, and much more.
Transactionland is a participatory artwork, a hybrid of a “shop” combined with a community space and venue for exploring ideas about the economy, labour and value. The project is led by Bristol-based artist Rachael Clerke and other selected artists.
Visitors can come into Transactionland to browse or shop - accepted currencies in Transactionland include cash, card, stock cubes, time and anecdotes amongst others.
Or they can take part in the daily schedule of activities, including “Doughnut Hour” (a group conversation about doughnut economics, with doughnuts) and “Shoplift-o-clock” (an hour where shoplifting is playfully encouraged, with creative consequences that focus on exploring the ethics of theft). In “The Stock Exchange”, visitors are encouraged to exchange something they have on their person (anything) for a stock cube. They are also welcomed to come back another day with a stock cube of their own, to exchange for something else on the table.
It's shopping - but not as you know it! Transactionland invites you to shop 'til you drop alongside a packed programme of conversations, workshops, performances and more in the centre of Ipswich.
