asset arrest

ASSET ARREST was recently featured on campari safari's blog

As some of you know, I have been in China (Xiamen) for almost two years now, where I am currently working as a Lecturer in Digital Media Art. Whilst adjusting to my new context, I decided not to attempt to make any China-specific ASSET ARREST episodes. Not only are things difficult to navigate due to my shoddy tourist-level Mandarin skills (though it is a million miles away from my experience living in pre-smartphone Beijing in 2011) but I feel awkward in my position here, as a foreigner who observes from the outside, never fully able to grasp the immense political and cultural infrastructure and histories that underpin everything I encounter. I haven’t overcome this feeling, and as long as I’m here I guess I never will *but* I’ve decided that it’s time to resurrect ASSET ARREST to explore some aspects of real estate speculation in the Chinese context. To do this, I will be working with various friends, students, colleagues and others here and elsewhere, to help me engage with what I encounter. So I begin by framing my exploration through one of the Western media’s favourite metaphors for discussing supposedly “failed” Chinese real estate developments: that of the “ghost”. So, I will begin with a ghost hunt, and perhaps the most infamous “ghost city” in China: Ordos in Inner Mongolia, specifically its Kangbashi district. From around 2009 to the mid-2010s, Western media widely portrayed Ordos as eerily deserted and a symbol of China’s speculative real estate excess. In recent years, however, Kangbashi has been reported to have seen steady population growth, increased occupancy, and expanded infrastructure, challenging its long-standing reputation as a failed urban experiment. I’ll be heading there on Friday to see what post-ghost Ordos is really like and, of course, view some properties! Follow @assetarrest on Instagram as I’ll be posting some bits and bobs from the trip. I'd also love to hear from anyone else who has conducted research relating to urban development in Ordos, or Chinese new cities/development zones more generally (and/or the Western perception of many as "failures", i.e. "ghosts").

Episode 4 - and the final episode - of ASSET ARREST's mini-series on culture-led housing, made in collaboration with the London Cultural Diversity Lab, takes us to speak to artist Jill Kennedy-McNeill about her experiences living as a property guardian for many years in London. I then speak to artist Sean Roy Parker about his involvement in artist-led co-living project The Field, which is situated on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in rural England.

rabharling.com/ balfronsocialclub.org/

In this episode, I speak to Newcastle-based artist Andrew Wilson, previously a resident of Artist House 45 - a housing project for artists by artist-led organisation East Street Arts in Leeds, which ran between 2015 and 2020. Andrew lived and worked there with his collaborator Toby Lloyd (together they are known as Lloyd-Wilson), where they developed relationships with their immediate neighbours and existing community projects. For more information about Andrew's work visit: www.iamandrewwilson.co.uk/

This is the introductory episode to a new ASSET ARREST mini-series on 'culture-led housing', made in collaboration with The London Cultural Diversity Lab at City, University of London. The London Cultural Diversity Lab is one of five cross-Europe “laboratories” that form the Creative Impact Research Centre Europe (CIRCE). Throughout 2023, the five labs are exploring the multiple challenges and opportunities facing the European creative economy in the midst of an unfolding polycrisis. In this episode I introduce the idea of 'culture-led housing' and speak to architectural researcher and practitioner Jonathan Orlek.

The London Cultural Diversity Lab is one of five cross-Europe “laboratories” that form the Creative Impact Research Centre Europe (CIRCE). Throughout 2023, the five labs are exploring the multiple challenges and opportunities facing the European creative economy in the midst of an unfolding polycrisis.

The London Cultural Diversity Lab is one of five cross-Europe “laboratories” that form the Creative Impact Research Centre Europe (CIRCE). Throughout 2023, the five labs are exploring the multiple challenges and opportunities facing the European creative economy in the midst of an unfolding polycrisis.

Investing in social housing is growing in popularity. This is the first of a series of ASSET ARREST shorts - 'SMALL TALK' - that give telephone-based insights to speculative real estate and investor-driven housing. Find out how investors plan to maintain profits in a time of polycrisis.

Installation as part of ‘Prospect Us’ at Shieldfield Art Works, Newcastle.

Video produced for the exhibiton 'Prospect Us' at Shieldfield Art Works, Newcastle, 2021. The video features meetings with a number of former, current and future students to visit their accommodation or view new accommodation with them and discuss their experiences of searching for and living in this form of housing. A video compiles imagery and footage from the various student accommodation’s promotional material in the form of a tour around their various spaces. You can also listen to the episode online at assetarrest.com. With thanks to Anna Muddiman, Anna Li, Grace Armstrong, Renee Wong and Anantha Ram Kalepu for their participation.

ASSET ARREST presentation at ZK/U: Centre for Art and Urbanistics, Berlin, 2019.

"Scariest thing since the Blair Witch Project!" "The unflinching brutality of the ASSET ARREST Frieze Week Special 3 is captivating." "I sure hope I never end up in 'property' - not for the faint of heart!"

*Please note, the "political looking artwork" I refer to is the one in the image, and it's a Gilbert and George work - lol - so not as out of place as I'd thought on first glance.*

“𝗪𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳.”– random developer man in suit who networked me. “𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.” – Sean Mulryan, Managing Director of Ballymore who couldn’t help but network me too. 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗭𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟!!!!!!!!!! 𝗔𝗥𝗧 + 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 = 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡 𝗙𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛!!!  Asset Arrest Episode 25 is bit long and unwieldy but incase anyone is interested, it is a recording of an event I attended this morning called ‘Productive Placemaking, New Opportunities: What does successful regeneration truly look like? Held at the Trinity Art Gallery on London City Island, it featured a bunch of mainly slimy posh men in suits – an array of planners, developers, investors, etc – saying very little of meaning and just rambling on about how successful they and their placemaking strategies are. But it's a chance to hear how those on the other side speak about these things. They left little time for questions but I did manage to get one in right at the end, which led to me having a substantial conversation with Sean Mulryan, Ballymore’s managing director, after the event. Sadly the recording of this conversation, and my other networking efforts, was not usable due to the crowds of loud networking people in the space. Apologies for the imperfect audio but I was recording on the sly in a difficult room full of people.

Photos of ASSET ARREST installation in ‘Prospect Us’ exhibition.

ASSET ARREST is part of this exhibition and series of events at Shieldfield Art Works (SAW) in Newcastle!