Tom James

FILM ALERT PART 3 🍿💡 The Circular Economy School is a new project in Park Royal, north-west London, where local young people can learn how to make sustainable products out of waste materials. In this video, Tom James, director of Absolute Beginners, talks about the ideas behind the school, - and why you (yes you) should come down this weekend and support it. We’re running a market stall at @standardmarketnw10 , this Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May, on Standard Road, Park Royal, London, NW10 6EX - from 11AM-4PM each day. You’ll be able to see the products we’ve made, talk to the young people who’ve made them - and buy the products! Plus, 50% of all sales this weekend will be going directly to the young people - on top of the London Living Wage they’ve already been paid. The Circular Economy School is run by Absolute Beginners (@a_beginners_ ), @_recollective_ and @rescuedclay , and funded by Old Oak Park Royal Development Corporation (@oldoakparkroyal ). Video by @lavandafilmsuk . Graphics by @j_o_n_c_a_n .

WELCOME TO THE CLEARING In light of being shortlisted for the Sycamore Gap Tree commission, we thought it was time to share some images of the first project we worked on together: The Clearing. The Clearing was a vision of the future in the grounds of Compton Verney Art Gallery and park. The aim was to build a physical place where people could learn how to live in the collapsing world that’s coming our way. From March to December 2017, The Clearing became part school, part shelter and part folly. In the middle of The Clearing was a geodesic dome - made of reclaimed materials, and built with a group of volunteers on the shores of the gallery’s lake. Inside the dome, we programmed a series of 20 workshops to teach people just some of the need once the sea levels rise, the global economy collapses, and Big Sainsburys is on fire: from building fires and digging toilets, through making mead and working with wool, to building radios and rebuilding democracy. Outside of these workshops, a series of caretakers occupied the dome, to chop wood, feed the chickens and keep the vision alive. The aim throughout was to help people stand outside of the current world, feel what climate change might feel like, and imagine a new way of living. We want to bring some of this energy to the Sycamore Gap: lifting people up, helping them talk and imagine, and collectively giving people a new perspective on the country around them. Voting for the Sycamore Gap commission ends this weekend. The link is in both of our bio’s.

Dead excited to announce that @alex._hartley and I have been shortlisted for the National Trust’s Sycamore Gap commission, creating a new artwork using wood retained from the Sycamore Gap tree! We want to use the wood from the Sycamore Gap tree to build a temporary elevated platform, to lift people up into the space where the tree once stood. We want to use this platform - and the power of this wood - to hold a conversation about the future of the country. We want to call this structure ‘Viewpoint’. The National Trust is inviting the public to help select the final artist for the commission. You can find out more and vote at the link in my bio. Image credit: ‘Viewpoint’ by Alex Hartley and Tom James. Illustration by Alex Hartley and Freya Bruce (@_constructivechaos_ ).

Tom James (@tom____james ) developed The Firewatchers in collaboration with Bexley Scouts, through a series of hands-on workshops exploring bonfire-building traditions and collective making 🛠️🤝 Through these sessions, Scouts learned practical construction skills, teamwork and fire-safety knowledge while creating designs of the final bonfire sculpture. Experience The Firewatchers on Saturday, 21 February, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at Hurst Community Centre, Hurst Road, London DA5 3LH.  The Firewatchers is commissioned by the London Borough of Bexley (@LBofBexley ) as part of the Night Visions Festival, and produced by Three Rivers Bexley, Emergency Exit Arts (@emergencyexitarts ) and Lightfires (@l.i.g.h.t.f.i.r.e.s ), with support from Arts Council England #CreativePeopleAndPlaces (@aceagrams ) #TheFirewatchers #NightVisionsFestival #TomJames #BonfireSculpture

The Firewatchers is inspired by Bexley’s long-standing traditions of bonfire-building and fire-watching - practices that have brought people together across generations to mark moments of celebration, change and collective identity. The images featured on the project poster come from the Bexley Archives (@bexleyarchives ) and show just how deep these traditions run locally. They remind us that bonfires have long been more than spectacle: they are social events, built together, watched together and remembered together 🗂️📸🕰️ Across Britain, bonfires have played a central role in public life, from Guy Fawkes Night to major national celebrations such as coronation bonfires. These were once vast, carefully engineered beacon structures, sometimes over 50 feet tall. They served as signals, celebrations and symbols of shared belonging 🏔️🌌👥 At a local level, these traditions were equally powerful. Neighbours gathered to build fires, share warmth, exchange stories, and mark seasonal and social change, transforming everyday spaces into places of collective attention and care. Experience The Firewatchers on Saturday, 21 February, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at Hurst Community Centre, Hurst Road, London DA5 3LH . The Firewatchers is commissioned by the London Borough of Bexley (@LBofBexley ) as part of the Night Visions Festival, and produced by Three Rivers Bexley, Emergency Exit Arts (@emergencyexitarts ) and Lightfires (@l.i.g.h.t.f.i.r.e.s ), with support from Arts Council England #CreativePeopleAndPlaces (@aceagrams ) Photos: 1. Coronation Bonfire, 1911. 2. Boy Scouts, Coronation Bonfire, 1911. 3. Erith Coronation Bonfire. 28 June 1902. Courtesy of Bexley Archives #TheFirewatchers #NightVisionsFestival #TomJames #BonfireSculpture #FirePerformance #PublicArt #Bexley #ThreeRivers #ThreeRiversBexley

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT 🏙️⚙️ Tom James (@tom____james ) ✨ We’re pleased to introduce you to Tom James, the artist who designed The Firewatchers bonfire sculpture, which you’ll be able to experience on Saturday, 21 February, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at Hurst Community Centre, Hurst Road, London DA5 3LH. Tom developed The Firewatchers in collaboration with Bexley Scouts, through a series of hands-on workshops exploring bonfire-building traditions, collective making, and the cultural role of fire as a site of gathering and care 🛠️🤝 In his practice, Tom creates participatory projects where real people can learn real skills, imagine new ways of living, and get their hands dirty to give them a try. His work is mainly concerned with the climate emergency, and how to act in and against the miserable future we’re creating for our children 👥🌱 The Firewatchers is commissioned by the London Borough of Bexley (@LBofBexley ) as part of the Night Visions Festival, and produced by Three Rivers Bexley, Emergency Exit Arts (@emergencyexitarts ) and Lightfires (@l.i.g.h.t.f.i.r.e.s ), with support from Arts Council England #CreativePeopleAndPlaces (@aceagrams ) Photos: 1: Tom constructs an anaerobic digester as part of his Kings Cross Gas Workshop at Arts Catalyst (@artscatalyst ), 2018. Image courtesy Arts Catalyst. 2: Learning to build a kiln at Absolute Beginners (@a_beginners_ ), in a workshop led by Camille Biddell (@cambiddell ), 2021. Photo by Theo Simpson. 3: The Clearing, a vision of the future at Compton Verney, in collaboration with Alex Hartley (@alex._hartley ). Photo by Theo Simpson. 4: A wind-turbine workshop at The Clearing. Photo by Tom. 5: Kings Cross Gas Workshop at Arts Catalyst, 2018. Photo by Tom. 6:Young people learn to make tyre sandals at Absolute Beginners, in a workshop led by Lauren MacDonald (@working_cloth ), 2021. Banner designed by Jon Cannon (@j_o_n_c_a_n ), and made by Rachael Clerke (@rachaelclerke ). Photo by Tom. #TheFirewatchers #NightVisionsFestival #TomJames #BonfireSculpture #FirePerformance #PublicArt #Bexley #ThreeRivers #ThreeRiversBexley #ArtistSpotlight

🪵 The Firewatchers 🔥👀 a bonfire sculpture by Tom James (@tom____james ) 📅 Saturday, 21 February, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm 📍 Hurst Community Centre, Hurst Road, London DA5 3LH 🎟️ FREE to attend, no booking required! Join us for an evening of spectacular outdoor fire performances inspired by the historic traditions of bonfire building in Bexley, co-created with Bexley Scouts. Throughout the evening, the sculpture will be at the centre of a programme of spectacular outdoor fire performances, accompanied by hot food, live music, and an interactive Fire Fayre for all ages. Fire has long been a way of gathering people together: for warmth, for celebration, for marking seasonal change. The Firewatchers invites you to come together, share space, and experience fire as a living, social, and creative force ✨ Access information: * Free entry, no booking required * No parking available * Nearest public transport: Crofton Avenue (Stop T) The Firewatchers is commissioned by the London Borough of Bexley (@LBofBexley ) as part of the Night Visions Festival, and produced by Three Rivers Bexley, Emergency Exit Arts (@emergencyexitarts ) and Lightfires (@l.i.g.h.t.f.i.r.e.s ), with support from Arts Council England #CreativePeopleAndPlaces (@aceagrams ) Night Visions is part of #CelebratingBexley – a yearlong programme that celebrates arts and culture in Bexley, marking a number of significant anniversaries including the Council’s 60th anniversary, 100 years of Danson Park, 160 years of Crossness Engines and 500 years since Lesnes Abbey was closed. Poster design: Marcus Kerr (@marcus.kerr ) #TheFirewatchers #NightVisionsFestival #TomJames BonfireSculpture FirePerformance PublicArt Bexley ThreeRivers ThreeRiversBexley

Over the last few weeks, we’ve developed a new product at Absolute Beginners - the 100 Year Dustpan. They’ve been designed and made by young people paid London Living Wage. They’re produced from 100% reclaimed metal, from discarded gas boilers and electric radiators that I’ve found on the street. And they’re almost completely off-grid - we only used electricity to drill the holes and etch the logo. We’re launching them this Saturday, 13th September, from 5-7pm, at the @a_beginners_ space in Park Royal. It’s part of the @parkroyaldesigndistrict of @l_d_f_official (see the AB profile for more info). They’re called 100 Year Dustpans because they’re going to last forever. The tagline is: lasts longer than you do, or your money back. I absolutely love these dustpans. Partly because they’re made by young people who get PAID to learn these design skills (and critical thinking), to help them overcome the barriers to getting the jobs they want. But mostly because they feel like they’re from another world. Everyone agrees we need to transform our economy, to avoid cooking ourselves with climate change, but no-one seems to be able to imagine what this new economy looks like. This! It looks like this! Massive thanks to the young people involved: Abi Grant-Sinclair (@abi_grantsinclair ), Alessandro Quao (@1eko_official ), Krupa Bhalerao (@krup4_ ), Layla Nasser (@iamlayy.c ), Lily Tham (@Lilymaytham ), Parsa Askarifar (@Parsa83240 ), Sahara Fagan-Michaelson (@Saharmonyy ) and Sylvester Demordzi. Huge thanks and appreciation to Shanayah Dadral (@shanayahd ) for her skills in leading the workshops with me, to Ayşe Köklü (@ayayaykok ) for supporting the young people so brilliantly, and to Ross Bennett (@ross_rgb ) for leading the brush workshops. It’s the beginning of a new age!

NEWS! You’re invited to the opening of WEATHER SHOW, my latest exhibition at @camdenartcentre , this Thursday 17th July, from 6PM to 9PM. WEATHER SHOW is a year-long project in collaboration with the amazing @lu__say and Declan Leslie from @actionspace , along with students from two local SEN schools. Together, we wanted to ask: can we bring the outside in? We’ve been working with the students to capture the wind, the rain, the sun and the earth, and recreate them inside the gallery. We’re now having an exhibition of this work in the gallery, where YOU can make your own weather. The show is accessible and family friendly (i.e. you can touch everything, and normal people can understand the wall text). This is the final exhibition of three years of work at Camden Art Centre, after ‘Den!’ last year and ‘Machine? Machine!’ in 2023. Absolutely massive thanks to Lucie, Dec, curator @gcollum100 and producers Stephanie Wong, @ish.wari and Maya Kincaid. If you can’t make the opening, WEATHER SHOW is on until 24th August.

I support Palace Tyne Acton. Just to recap: This government have made Palestine Action illegal, and proscribed them as a terr0rist group. So a group taking non-violent direct action against a gen0cide, which has hurt or killed 0 people = illegal. But the state carrying out that gen0cide, bombing hospitals and burying medics and blowing limbs off thousands of children and machine gunning people in aid queues = fine. I absolutely don’t support Palestine Action. But I do support Palace Tyne Acton, and encourage you to do the same. PS I’m never voting @uklabour again.

This is me. I’m an artist and a writer. I’m between five and ten years late to start an instagram account, and am joining at the exact moment it nosedives into total irrelevance, choked with those videos where someone films themselves watching someone else’s video, like an infinity mirror of pure shit. (Imagine doing a version of someone else’s meme, miming along to the soundtrack you’ve stolen, and putting the resulting video on the internet for money - and this being your life! Your one brief burst of consciousness on planet Earth! Then imagine monetising your kids too! What a time to be alive!) But I also want to see if there’s a way to use it in a semi-interesting way (inspired by @rachaelclerke and @morvenmulgrew in particular, who talk honestly about what it's like to be an artist). To be honest I'll probably just be posting @just.stopoil videos and devastating memes from @doomscroll_forever . Here are two photos of me. The first is a beautiful head shot by Nathaniel Télémaque @pesovisuals which was taken recently for the amazing Metroland Studios @metrolandcultures , where I’m a resident. The second is a photo of me filling an anaerobic digester with actual shit (cow), at a residency at @artscatalyst in 2018. Bring your own joke. Obviously you haven’t read any of this, as I haven’t delivered it to camera with auto-generated subtitles, or pointed to it in captions that surround me while I dance. Culture is dead! Next stop, Tiktok in 2034!