Desperately seeking space: Seomra Spraoi needs a new home
dublin |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Wednesday May 02, 2007 12:45
by Social Gaff - Seomra Spraoi
seomraspraoi at gmail dot com
6 Lr Ormond Quay, Dublin 1
Public meeting Thursday 8pm at the Seomra
The Dublin social centre, Seomra Spraoi, will be homeless again from May 23rd. The social centre has been located on Lwr Ormond Quay since August 2006, but is currently seeking a new home, as the owner of the building is planning to sell up.
The collective that set up and runs the centre - also called Seomra Spraoi - is calling on all the people and groups who have used the space to help keep the project going. A public meeting on Thursday (May 3rd) at 8pm will include a slide show and short talk about social centres and the history of Seomra Spraoi and an open discussion about how you can get involved at this critical stage.
"Our 10-month residency on the quays has seen the project really grow and involve lots more people and a real diversity of events and activities," said a Seomra Spraoi regular, gazing wistfully out over the Liffey from the huge first-floor window. "We'll sure miss this view."
"Literally thousands of people have passed through this place since last August. By now there is something on nearly every day - gigs, craft workshops, screenings, meetings, children's events, exhibitions. At the last count, more than 20 different groups were using the place for meetings or other events. "
It's not too late to organise an event. In fact, the collective is trying to put on as many events as possible in its final weeks at Ormond Quay. See contact details below.
Seomra Spraoi expects to have to pay a bigger rent on whatever space it moves into next. You can help by taking out a standing order (see below) or organising a benefit gig or making a donation at the Seomra. Groups who have used the space and hope to use the next space are encouraged to make a regular donation of whatever they can afford, preferably by standing order.
Watch out for more background about the project soon on Indymedia.
What you can do:
• Look out for spaces to rent in Dublin city centre.
• Let Seomra Spraoi know if you have storage space.
• Come to our public meeting on Thursday, May 3rd, at 8pm at 6 Lower Ormond Quay.
• Come to our regular meetings every Thursday at 7.30pm (not this week).
• Take out a standing order (to be posted here in a minute).
How to contact Seomra Spraoi:
Email:- seomraspraoi AT gmail DOT com
Book an event:- seomraspraoievents AT gmail DOT com
Blog:- seomraspraoi.blogspot.com
MySpace:- www.myspace.com/seomraspraoi
Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9You can pay by the week or by the month.
There's no minimum (and no maximum!).
Click to reveal printable version
Any chance of just squatting some derelict building and turning it into a TAZ?
http://www.hermetic.com/bey/taz3.html#labelTAZ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporary_Autonomous_Zone
Taz,
I'd say head along to the meeting if you can, all suggestions would probably be welcome.
The TAZ is a useless beyist notion, its best critique is that hakim bey also thinks pedarising kids is revolutionary. Squatting has been tried in this city, at best it creates insular self-congratulatory lifestylist ghettos. Get your politics to the people who count start a proper open social space. Long live the spraoi, leave the past behind you.
Seomra Spraoi is a great project, sorry to hear you have to move out. I'm sure people would donate online if you had that set up. Much easier than printing off a standing order form and then snailmailing it.
if you need help setting up on online paypal donations page i could help
just give me an email and we can discuss
If they want to rent a space thats fine but then they shouldnt have the word "autonomous" in their slogan because they're giving money to a landlord - part of the system!
The idea is not to remove yourself from the system like some purist but to organise as best we can to subvert and overthrow the system. Sure they have a landlord but so does nearly every working person in this city (either literal or a bank as landlord ia mortgage). Were libertarians to try to hold themselves up to your purer-than-thou standards they would become little more than an isolated sub-culture. Autonomy cannot exist under capitalism whether in rented social centres or in squatted buildings, it is a social relationship that pervades every aspect of our lives.
As readers may know, Seomra Spraoi has to vacate its home on Lower Ormond Quay. However, we have been given an extension until June 1st. So there's more time to:
- drop in and see it and see how you can get involved
- pick up a standing order form (or print out the one above)
- come along to one of our events: there are quite a few planned for our final couple of weeks. Keep an eye on Indymedia.
Secondly, the May issue of Totally Dublin has an excellent feature article about Seomra Spraoi with photos. Totally Dublin is a free magazine available in cafes, take-aways, music shops, IFI cinema etc.
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