The Freed Market

The Freed Market

The Freed Market is a long term project based within the Winchester markets. A hired market stall functions as a discussion space for the public. Taking place on a monthly basis various artists will work in collaboration with Affect Collective to offer people the chance to talk about the economy and alternative futures in a neutral setting. The format this takes will be largely dependent on the public, refreshments will be sold and any profit made will be used to fund projects or events that the public feels will benefit the community. It opens up this space for imagining and presents it to the public for them to take ownership of. It may not result in direct change initially but it empowers people to take charge of the future they want to inhabit, it doesn’t just try to create a social experience for arts sake, it is a social experience around very pressing civic issues that people feel powerless to control. It may only result in symbolic actions, in terms of any real impact it has on the local economy, but this may well be the first step required to counter the inertia towards realizing sustainable alternatives.