Gunpowder Park, an area comprising 255 acres of regenerated green space near Watlthamstow, are constructing an Energy Café to explore concepts of living off grid. As part of The Art of Common Space initiative (www.artofcommonspace.org) based at Gunpowder Park, the Energy Café brings together a network of local residents, food growers and agricultural professionals to help reinvigorate the idea of sustainable living and the idea of a collective commons in which resources were held communally.

Work on the Energy Café started in Autumn 2008. The project is being directed by artists Amy Plant and Ella Gibbs of Pilot Publishing. Read their blog here: http://energycafe.wordpress.com

They invite you to join them and the Haring Woods/Landscape+Arts Network Services Team at Gunpowder Park over the coming months.

January 24th - January 30th
Urgent Call for Volunteers
Every day from 10.00am - 5.00pm
Help to transform the horse trailer into a working, mobile kitchen.

February 2nd - February 8th
Urgent Call for Volunteers
Every day from 10.00am - 5.00pm
Help to finish other structures on the Energy Cafe site, including the willow bender, tea and coffee bar, and constructing a welcoming arcg to the site.

February 14th
Crtitical mass food search within 6 mile radius
10.00am - 3.00pm
Meet at Energy Cafe with your bike, maps provided. Aim is to source as much locally grown food as possible, including wild food, and gather back at the cafe with findings to cook up a sunset dinner.

February 16th - March 14th
A testing ground of off-grid experiements
Four weeks of informal workshops, demonstrations, cook-ups, talks and presentations.

February 16th - 20th
Kids are invited to take over the Energy Cafe for half term

February 21st
Melting Pot Lanuch Party
1.00pm onwards

COMING SOON... THE ENERGY COLLEGE

February 22nd - March 14th
Energy College wish list of activities include:
> Best the energy crisis and make your own energy from bike power, to wind and solar experiments
> Design, build and test ovens for winter cooking
> Take part in demonstrations on DIY hot water systems and central heating
> Explore rainwater harvesting
> Explore the potentail of willow, from coppicing, fedging, weaving and charcoal making
> Inventing shelters and finding natural ways to insulate
> Preparing for cafe events building furniture, outdoor stage, skate ramp, dance floor and compost toilet
> Make a mobile allotment
> Outreach - offering services to the local community
> Talks and presentations on food production, complimentary currency, land remediation processes, collective living, and common land
> Plus other energizers such as dawn chorus walk, jamming, foraging, lots of cook-ups and the potential to build a hot air baloon and wishing well...

March 21st - 22nd (Spring Equinox)
24 hours non-stop
Energy Cafe off grid Spring Banquet and other festivities including live music, tango to belly to morris dancing and a "bike-in" cinema.

Pilot Publishing are looking for more proposals for action.
Email them on publishing@googlemail.com

The Energy Cafe has been commissioned by Haring Woods Associates/Landscape+Arts Network Services as part of the Art of Common Space programme at Gunpowder Park. The Art of Common Space is an ambitious international arts project which explores the question "What is common space in our 21st century multicultural society?" and is the culmination of the five year Gunpowder Park projects.