Saturday saw a party on Turbo Island, just days before the fateful auction scheduled for 5:30 this evening. The party saw a lush new paint job on Turbo from Rowdy, Ryder and Dazcat, the Free Shop, food and some of the BASE Infoshop out alongside some acoustic acts, after which people took to the decks on the Riggy Stardust sound system. There was an intermission for a keyboard piece too. And of course, a pallet fire, burning late into the morning.
The party did raise some funds, added into the crowdfunder given over to Stokes Croft Land Trust Monday morning. (£124.57 was raised in cash, with who knows how many online donations. Also a couple of Euro-cents and a piece of poetry in a capsule.) It was also a chance to share the ask for people to contribute evidence of Turbo’s use over the years, and several people filled in the form whilst hanging out. It’s not too late! Make your contribution here, and pass the link on to anyone else who has enjoyed spending time on Turbo Island in any capacity. (Especially if they did so from the early 2000s and before.)
However it was mostly a chance to celebrate Turbo Island. To revel in the sense of freedom it has offered so many in our otherwise highly controlled urban environment. To demonstrate the sense of community that Turbo helps facilitate – no-one was paid for any of the things which took place that night. All time, materials, skills and passion were given freely, out of love for Turbo. And not only that, as the stage and sound system were packed up, loads of people pitched in to tidy up, and the place was left looking smarter than it was when we started.
Just being in the crowd you couldn’t help but hear people constantly talking about “the magic of Turbo” and why the space is so important to them and the city. About how it encapsulates so much of what many of us love about Bristol, with it’s weird radical spaces and cultures, where strange friendships are formed, and unusual alliances help shape all our futures.
Some of those conversations were about how that could have been “the last Turbo party” but that will not be the case. Even if a commercial developer does buy the island, and tries to build something there, surely parties will be a key part of the resistance? Free parties have always been part of a cultural form of resistance, carving out moments and spaces of freedom in the face of hostile authorities and land-owners. Turbo is a part of this story, and will continue to be.
Until moments ago we were still crossing our fingers and toes that Stokes Croft Land Trust will be able to bid, and that maybe the strength of community feeling, along with the legal measures we’ve taken to make it less appealing, will have put off more commercially minded buyers. It turns out the auction has been cancelled, and according to a statement from SCLT it was sold to someone privately, for the same amount mooted as a possible off-auction price for SCLT. Even if someone mistakenly thinks they can take it away form the community who have used it for many decades, they will inevitably face fierce community resistance, and maybe someone with a heart of gold and deep, deep pockets will buy it to hand back to the community. What I’m saying is that far from being the end of Turbo Island, this is just the start of a new phase. Turbo has changed in many ways, for many reasons, over the years, and will keep changing. We just want to make sure that these changes don’t end up taking away this vital community space, especially from those who need it most.
For further updates and info check @save.turbo.island or contact email hidden; JavaScript is required.