POWER PEOPLE

POWER grows directly out of our project Bank Job—pulling off a community heist on the financial system by setting up our own bank, printing money and exploded £1.2 million of local predatory debt.

Led by artist and filmmaker Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn it involved the setting up of a community interest company Optimistic Foundation CIC committed to investigating and tackling urgent economic, philosophical and social issues through anarchic, joyful cultural production, bringing our community into the heart of the production process and turning hope into action.

Artists played a key role in the US New Deal of the 1930s. We’re not waiting for a Public Works of Art Project or Works Progress Administration –propelled by the urgent need to act on the intertwined climate/energy/economic crises we will make our own Green New Deal through shared learning, training and employment across film and art, green technology and sustainable construction. We believe in ‘Bread and Roses’—in the subversive, radical imagination and the power and need for the surreal and comic in dark times—leading to more just ways of organising and living.

THE TEAM

Whilst reaching out across the country and world we try to be ‘Made in Walthamstow’ recruiting production team, trainees and participants in our home place.  Old and new local collaborations grow in this project. There is an ever increasing team on the street as neighbours meet neighbours. The core team includes Mark Eris, Leonie Rousham, Carys Evans, Katie Rosier Little Red Hen and Phil Seddon.

9 organisations (with a total of 101 portraits) feature on our 7 x Greenback banknote designs as we work with HEET, Organic Lea, Project Zero,  Stories and Supper , Waltham Forest Migrant Action, Coppermill Swifts, Barn Croft Primary School, Pl84U-Al Suffa and Eat or Heat.

We thank Linden Nieto for previous hard work filming and editing and appreciate the critical, supportive members of our board Saira Mir, Anna Hart, Giles Clark—solar consultant and expanded board Tom Ruxton from HEET and Brian of Organic Lea.

The team is diverse and growing ranging from energy specialists Solar for Schools  and Energy Local  to the members of POWER (with overlaps).

POWER develops from contact with key thinkers, economists, writers, activists and artists we’ve met and are introduced to through Bank Job and beyond. Critical inspirations are those who worked on the original GREEN NEW DEAL from Ann Pettifor and Andrew Simms to the USA and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. This overlaps with ideas of ENERGY DEMOCRACY and Ashley Dawson’s ‘People Power’ and interlinks with SOLAR PUNK and its core thinkers. 

Unfortunately two of our key inspirations David Graeber and Neala Schleuning died in this time and we do this in their memory and for all they stood for.

Many/most of these do or will feature in our regular progress films available to in the POWER membership site and also on the YouTube channel. 

Support/thanks

Thank you to all the members of POWER! the source of community and people power!

Thank you to the funders coming on board to help make this multi facetted project happen.