” …. Alan Lodge’s photographs (pp.28-30.144,147) at Stonehenge capture that pre-rave, free festival pilgrimage. They are as important to me as Homer Sykes photographs; he was so clearly part of this movement rather than a photo journalist reporting on it. Stonehenge has been a pilgrimage destination for thousands of years. The structure remains the same; the people making that quest have just changed.” Jeremy Deller
Two reviews in the Guardian … this one is kinder to the show:
“…. The trespasses are represented in the show by 1930s press photographs. Images from half a century later, taken by Alan Lodge, of the confrontation now known as the Battle of the Beanfield between a convoy of new-age travellers heading to the 1985 Stonehenge free festival and the police, illustrate how the story continues.
The notional focus of the Battle of the Beanfield, Stonehenge, reverberates around the exhibition with artists – Ravilious, Henry Moore, Tacita Dean and others – drawn to symbolically powerful aspects of landscape from henges and geoglyphs to ancient oak trees.”
Nukes in the brooks: the artists who weaponised landscape art
Guardian Thursday 5th May 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/may/05/nukes-in-the-brooks-artists-weaponised-radical-landscape-art-liverpool
This Guardian reviewer didn’t like the show .. but liked my bit, well yes, of course
“…. Alan Lodge shows slides and videos of free festivals in the late 80s including at Stonehenge; the soundtrack had me wanting to shuffle along with these happy idiot savants in a field.
And that’s what this entire show could have been like: joyous, life-enhancing and therefore truly radical. ….”
Radical Landscapes review – ‘Is loving green fields really wicked?’
Guardian Friday 6th May
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/may/06/radical-landscapes-loving-green-fields-wicked-tate-liverpool-tacita-dean-constable
” …. In the second half of the show, it becomes hard to escape the sound of rave music pumping out of a film by Sara Sender next to a slideshow by Alan Lodge, both documenting free festivals in the late 1980s, including a notorious clash between police and revellers at Stonehenge in 1985 (aka the ‘Battle of the Beanfield’.) Tensions between landowners and New Age traveller convoys were all over the news in the 80s.
Radical Landscapes at Tate Liverpool: the battle to reclaim the countryside
https://inews.co.uk/culture/arts/radical-landscapes-tate-liverpool-review-1620022
“ …. There’s a spooky movie of Avebury stone circle by Derek Jarman, his digicam homing in on the enigmatic stones like messengers within the daybreak. Alan Lodge reveals slides and movies of free festivals within the late 80s together with at Stonehenge; the soundtrack had me desirous to shuffle together with these blissful fool savants in a area. And that’s what this complete present may have been like: joyous, life-enhancing and due to this fact actually radical.”
Radical Landscapes review – ‘Is loving green fields really wicked?’
https://www.pehalnews.in/radical-landscapes-review-is-loving-green-fields-really-wicked/1925949
“…. The sound of rаve music pumps out of а film аnd slide show by Alаn Lodge in the second hаlf of the show, documenting free festivаls in the lаte 1980s, including а notorious clаsh between police аnd revellers аt Stonehenge in 1985 (dubbed the “Bаttle of the Beаnfield”).
In the 1980s, tensions between lаndowners аnd New Age trаveller convoys were widely reported. There wаs а surprising sense of аlliаnce between the revellers fighting for аccess to the lаndscаpe аnd the older generаtion who hаd continued to аgitаte for the right to roаm in the post-wаr yeаrs, аs Jeremy Deller’s 2018 film Everybody in the Plаce (not included in this show) points out.”
At Tate Liverpool, Radical Landscapes explores how ramblers and revolutionaries fought to reclaim the countryside.
https://www.cengnews.com/news/at-tate-liverpool-radical-landscapes-explores-how-ramblers-and-revolutionaries-fought-to-reclaim-the-countryside-454945.html
