Leisure, Activism, and the Animation of the Urban Environment

Abstract

Introduction to the Special IssueWhile writing this Introduction many people around the world have experienced enforced physical distancing and lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, considering the themes of our Special Issue (leisure, activism, and the animation of the urban environment) has seemed surreal, whilst also curiously appropriate. During spring and early summer of 2020, news coverage of major cities around the world offered scenes almost completely devoid of people, with eerily silent streets that reminded us of the missing immediacy and absent vibrancy of what animates a city. When the pandemic hit, it was those familiar spaces of leisure and hospitality that were among the first to be made silent.Covid-19 has highlighted, through many absences, the importance of leisure, particularly in the animation of public spaces.Recent events have demonstrated that activism remains a vital component in the animation of urban space, too. On 18 May 2020, Extinction Rebellion lined Trafalgar Square, in London, with 2,000 pairs of children's shoes (Campbell, 2020), its banner ("COVID today > Climate tomorrow > Act now") echoing the UK government's then recommendation of "Stay home > Stay safe > Save lives." Such creative forms of dissent emphasised the emptiness of this typically busy space to make a point about the risks of climate change to children, while complying with guidelines to avoid mass gatherings during the pandemic 1 ; however, not all activism has followed that approach.Following the 25 May 2020 killing of George Floyd, who was suffocated whilst held to the ground by police officers in Minneapolis (USA), protests erupted across the United States 1 Another example is the increased use of the performance art piece Mirror Casket as part of the activism undertaken by Black Lives Matter. Initially created in 2014, following the murder of Michael Brown, the Mirror Casket is a coffin covered in mirrors, with a cracked mirror on top. The surfaces of the funeral casket reflect back the gaze of the police as they seek to contain the protest action (Yoganathan, 2020).focused on the injustice of Floyd's death and similar incidents of police brutality, and the persistence of systemic racism within many organisations at multiple levels of contemporary society. Anti-racism social justice protesters also took to the streets in cities around the world. These demonstrations, and those connected directly or indirectly to the Black Lives Matter movement, opted for direct action via mass rallies in public spaces. Protesters (and in turn, counter-protesters) also clashed over civic memorials, especially where these memorials (e.g., statues) connected with racist oppression and historic slavery. Some public spaces were dramatically re-made, such as the creation of Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington D.C., while in others (such as Bristol, UK), statues deemed controversial due to their association with the slave trade were removed (Wall, 2020). In many cities, protests became violent in clashes between c...