Antihistory | Antiuniversity of London

In the March 7 1970 issue of the Light newspaper an anonymous writer reflects on the development and collapse of Antiuniversity of London in 1968. One former members of the AU acknowledge the project as an experiment into deinstitutionalisation as s/he is quoted saying “Anyone can do whatever they want under the name of the Anti-U as it’s [...] common property, not for sale.” Thanks to Simon Ford for sharing this article.

Initial draft of a statement by the Antiuniversity, probably authored by Joe Berke. Joe Berke was inspired by the existential psychiatry of RD Laing that was mainly based on a critique of society in terms of its inhumanity and the repressive functioning of civilisation. The final statement published in the Antiuniversity’s first prospectus was more Marxist in tone, likely due to the intervention of Allen Krebs.

From the Antihistory Tabloid, Ed. Jakob Jakobsen, 2012

This is side two of the 11th LP vinyl record out of 23 that was intended to be published after the congress by the Institute of Phenomenological Studies in 1968. Only 17 records were eventually published.

This is side one of the 11th LP vinyl record out of 23 that was intended to be published after the congress by the Institute of Phenomenological Studies in 1968. Only 17 records were eventually published.

This is side two of the third LP vinyl record out of 17 published by the Institute of Phenomenological Studies in 1968. Initially 23 records were planed.  

This is side one of the third LP vinyl record out of 17 published by the Institute of Phenomenological Studies in 1968. Initially 23 records were planed.  

Here Jeff Nuttall’s course script The Function of Failure from Antiuniversity of London Number One Spring 1968.

Jeff Nuttall published the manuscript from his course in the one and only magazine published by the Antiuniversity of London during spring 1968. Here The Importance of Difficulty from his lecture on Saturday March 16 1968. Jeff Nuttall (1933 –  2004) was a poet, publisher, actor, painter, sculptor,  jazz trumpeter, and a central collaborator with Alex Trochhi on Project Sigma. In 1968 his published Bomb Culture, an inside account of Counter Culture in London from early 1960s onwards. 

David Cooper, Sharon Krebs (?) Liz Salt (?) and Allen Krebs at the Antiuniversity as shown on BBC in February 1968.

The Cultural Congress of Havana took place in January 1968, a month before the Antiuniversity opened its door. A number of the intellectuals and artists involved in the Antiuniversity of London went to Cuba for the occasion. The purpose of the Congress was to discuss the problem of culture in the Third World. David Cooper was among the delegates and he made a presentation to Commission II - the integral growth of man. The paper was reprinted in the one and only magazine of the Antiuniversity with title Towards Revolutionary Centres of Consciousness published during Winter 1968.

A Letter from Prison to my Black Brothers and Sisters was published in the Antiuniversity Magazine. With the letter is an invitation to an  Antiuniversity forum on Black Power on March 23, 1968. The speakers include David Cooper, Obi Egbuna, Allen Krebs, Leon Redler, and Brother Young - all teachers at the Antiuniversity.

Bob Cobbing's visual poetry on the front and back page of the one and only magazine published by the Antiuniversity of London. The magazine consisted of a collection of texts and announcements from teachers and students of the university. The main texts were David Cooper's paper from the Cultural Congress of Havana and Jeff Nuttall's manuscripts from his courses as well as an announcement of a meeting on Black Power.

To supplement the catalogue of the first quarter additional flyers were mimeographed and distributed together with the printed catalogue. The initial interest from both potential students and teachers of the Antiuniversity were overwhelming. These supplements were somehow underlining the improvised and flexible structure of the Antiuniversity in-formation.

The first handfull of courses of the Antiuniversity was presented in International Times No. 24 published on January 19 1968 a little month before the opening. The inter-disciplinarian or rather anti-disciplinarian nature of this educational project was evident when going through the preliminary list of courses and people involved.