Anti-homeless spikes are ‘orrible. So we done summat about them.

As far as my friends and I were concerned, this was a test bed. http://betterthanspikes.tumblr.com/

Didn’t expect all this to happen…..

London Live

http://www.londonlive.co.uk/news/2015-07-19/turning-anti-homeless-spikes-into-something-more-comfortable

ITV London

[awaiting clip]

BBC Radio

[awaiting clip]

Metro:

http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/18/london-artists-protest-anti-homeless-spikes-by-turning-them-into-a-bed-5302388/

Mirror:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/space-not-spikes-campaigners-launch-6089905

Little Atoms [had it first]:

http://www.littleatoms.com/art-design-society/best-way-fighting-back-against-londons-anti-homeless-spikes

Independent

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/artists-launch-campaign-to-tackle-scourge-of-antihomeless-spikes-in-london-10400210.html

Independent (interview)

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/space-not-spikes-protest-artist-says-hostile-architecture-is-antihuman-10409673.html

Guardian Cities

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jul/20/rise-urban-playgrounds-elderly

Guardian Comment is Free [over 25k shares in 24 hrs]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/23/anti-homeless-spikes-inhumane-defensive-architecture

Guardian Film

http://www.theguardian.com/society/video/2015/jul/23/london-activists-neutralise-anti-homeless-spikes-mattress-bookshelf-video

Irish Examiner

http://www.irishexaminer.com/examviral/real-life/artists-transform-anti-homeless-spikes-on-shoreditch-street-into-sofa-and-reading-area-343408.html

PA

http://snappa.press.net/#!/assets/0b9bad27-8007-3243-84fd-f3d6b29eb8b8?feedId=firehose

BT.com

http://home.bt.com/news/features/artists-transform-anti-homeless-spikes-on-shoreditch-street-into-sofa-and-reading-area-11363993360292

Unilad

http://www.unilad.co.uk/articles/someone-is-turning-anti-homeless-spikes-into-beds/

Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/07/20/anti-homeless-spikes-london-bed_n_7831008.html?1437390191&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Evening Standard

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/hipsters-turn-londons-antihomeless-spikes-into-a-bed-and-library-10403907.html

Mashable

http://mashable.com/2015/07/22/homeless-spikes-london-bedroom/

Global Post

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6619952/2015/07/22/group-artists-found-perfect-way-protest-anti-homeless-spikes

Konbini

http://www.konbini.com/en/lifestyle/artists-tackling-londons-anti-homeless-spikes-head/

ShortList

http://www.shortlist.com/cool-stuff/anti-homeless-spikes-are-being-turned-into-bedrooms-by-campaigners

PSFK

http://www.psfk.com/2015/07/anti-homeless-spikes-london-homeless.html

Ellie Goulding on Instagram

https://instagram.com/p/5e0YlLzfc2/?taken-by=elliegoulding

QUARTZ

http://qz.com/461159/activists-are-repurposing-londons-anti-homeless-spikes-into-cozy-bedrooms/

Upworthy

https://www.upworthy.com/artists-got-fed-up-with-these-anti-homeless-spikes-so-they-made-them-a-bit-more-comfy?c=hpstream

Films For Action

http://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/this-is-the-best-way-to-fight-back-against-londons-antihomeless-spikes/

Bam Margera’s blog

http://tv.bamargera.com/london-streets-installed-spikes-to-keep-the-homeless-away-but-this-group-decided-to-change-everything-and-place-beds-on-top-

AOL Money

http://money.aol.co.uk/2015/07/20/artists-takle-anti-homeless-spikes-on-shoreditch-street/

RYOT 

http://www.ryot.org/this-rad-group-of-activists-turned-londons-anti-homeless-spikes-into-a-cozy-statement/938721

El Iberico (Spanish)

http://www.eliberico.com/un-grupo-de-artistas-crea-una-campana-a-favor-de-los-mendigos-de-londres.html

Down and Out Leicester

https://downnotoutleicester.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/anti-homeless-spikes-turned-into-bed-and-library-by-protesters-in-london/

MTL Blog

http://www.mtlblog.com/2015/07/artists-have-been-turning-anti-homeless-spikes-into-beds/#

Immo Klink blog

http://immoklink.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/anti-homeless-spikes.html?spref=tw

FPIEC (Poland)

http://www.fpiec.pl/post/2015/07/20/artysci

Vart Land (Norway)

http://www.vl.no/nyhet/sl%C3%A5r-tilbake-mot-fiendtlig-arkitektur-1.376121

Joop (Netherlands)

http://www.joop.nl/kijk-nou/detail/browse/2/artikel/33159_actiegroep_neemt_wraak_op_antisociale_winkel/

Infinity House Magazine

http://infinityhousemagazine.com/the-most-amazing-response-to-londons-anti-homeless-spikes/

Radio Nova (Finland)

http://www.radionova.fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset/Taiteilijoiden-vastaisku-kodittomien-hatistelylle—piikit-vaihtuvat-sangyksi-34885.html

Refinery 29

http://www.refinery29.com/2015/07/91169/anti-homeless-spikes-england-artist-protest

Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo News

http://news.yahoo.com/anti-homeless-spikes-heartless-193035240.html

Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2015/0722/Are-anti-homeless-spikes-heartless

Take Part

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/07/22/activists-homelessness-spikes

AdWeek

http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/homeless-spikes-activists-earn-a-global-prwin-for-defensive-architecture/116699

Metro Belgium (Belgian)

http://fr.metrotime.be/2015/07/22/must-read/londres-des-artistes-sattaquent-a-une-mesure-anti-sdf/

Svenska Dagbladet (Swedish)

http://www.svd.se/konstnarer-gav-hemlosa-soffa-i-stallet-for-spikar

Noticias ao Minuto (Portugese)

http://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/424752/picos-de-metal-que-impedem-sem-abrigo-de-dormir-estao-a-ser-contornados

NTV (Turkish)

http://www.ntv.com.tr/sanat/evsiz-kaciran-dikenlereboyle-cevap-verdiler,GdgovS_OH0eoNLKbLmulCw

GOOD Magazine (Israel)

http://magazine.good.is/articles/anti-homeless-spikes-transformed

Welfare Society Territory

http://www.west-info.eu/soft-protest-against-anti-homeless-spikes/

L’avenir (France)

http://www.lavenir.net/cnt/DMF20150723_00679663

Rozhlas (Czech)

http://www.rozhlas.cz/radiowave/wavenews/_zprava/londynsti-aktiviste-premenili-kovove-hroty-proti-bezdomovcum-v-postele–1515127?print=1

And more….

There will be more. Watch this space. Better still, don’t just watch space…change it.

List of books now available at the Curtain Road Public Library:
James Meek PRIVATE ISLAND
Owen Hatherley A NEW KIND OF BLEAK
Wade Shepard GHOST CITIES
John Gledhill THE NEW WAR ON THE POOR
Bradley Garrett EXPLORE EVERYTHING: PLACE HACKING THE CITY
Anna Minton GROUND CONTROL
Danny Dorling ALL THAT IS SOLID
Lynsey Hanley ESTATES: AN INTIMATE HISTORY
Justin McGuirk RADICAL CITIES: ACROSS LATIN AMERICA IN SEARCH OF A NEW
ARCHITECTURE
Lisa McKenzie GETTING BY: ESTATES, CLASS AND CULTURE IN AUSTERITY BRITAIN
And a paper by Andrew Harris called ART AND GENTRIFICATION: PURSUING THE URBAN PASTORAL IN HOXTON, LONDON

Feel free to read, relax or retire. Just leave the books behind for the people who come after you. Thanks.

[All images are CC BY-ND by Immo Klink and Marco Godoy.]