How squatting reclaims communal space in the age of privatisation

Skyrocketing rents, a stagnant job market and cuts to social benefits have led to a homelessness crisis in London. For two years, Pete, a low-wage-earning performing artist and poet, has been squatting in empty London commercial buildings – a lifestyle he calls a ‘DIY’ solution to the problem of displacement and limited affordable housing options. In this brief profile, Pete discusses how the privatisation of once-public places robs people of communal space, a trend that is intimately tied to a work culture that robs people of their own private time.