Autohoodening

Abstract

Autohoodening is a consciousness-raising custom for the age of A.I Capitalism, updating an ancient midwinter ritual to critically engage with the horrors of working as a seasonal associate in an Amazon fulfilment centre. Conceived in 2019 by Post Workers Theatre, Autohoodening is a collective inquiry that combines talks and debate on folk history and contemporary work issues, with scripts, songs, costume and live performance. A symposium was held within the Design Department at Goldsmiths, which acted as the catalyst for a week of collective reworking. Discussion focues on how folkloric, archetypes could be used to address contemporary labour issues. Presentations were given by Ben Jones, member of the St Nicholas at Wade Hoodeners, Folk Historian George Frampton and journalist and writer James Bloodworth who shared his experience of working undercover in Amazon's Rugeley Fulfilment Centre. Participants of the symposium went on to produce a collectively written response to the mid-winter custom of Hoodening, performed in East Kent for over 200 years. Originally, the Hoodeners were agricultural labourers, working in ploughing teams, who performed a carnivalesque satire of their working realites, visiting different locations in the local community during the fallow season of winter. Autohoodening 2019 begins to reimagine this custom for the age of automation, updating its design, delivery and social purpose. How might the singing, dancing and physical humour parody and draw attention to the horrifying working conditions hidden behind consumer-facing infrastructure and the ease of ‘one-click’ delivery