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Andy Thatcher is a photographer, film-maker, writer and researcher who is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Bristol. Andy’s research includes using ‘folk horror’ as a lens to understand the contested histories of English commons.
[Content Warning: This podcast includes a discussion of violence in a historical context.]
In our conversation, we talked about histories and folk legends linked to historic commons in the southwest of England, and how Andy uses research and film making to explore their atmospheres and stories. Folk traditions have long ways for local people to assert claims to the land. Though many historic English commons are obscure and little-known, they can reveal histories of conflict and trauma.
Our conversation touched on ideas about how the ‘weird’, the ‘eerie’ and haunting can help us think differently about places. And we discussed how folk horror of the 1970s and beyond – from the Wicker Man and Penda’s Fen to Candyman and examples from other countries and cultures – can open up deep histories, clashes between tradition and modernity and moral ambiguity.
Links:
Andy Thatcher’s website – see also the films Clouties and Common Place, mentioned in the podcast
Oak Apple Day at Wishford Magna – archive footage from 1949
Folk Horror Revival – articles, essays and resources on folk horror
The Wicker Man (1973) – IMDB
Penda’s Fen (1974) (video at Internet Archive)
Candyman (1992) – IMDB
Strange Natures: Season of art, essays and reflections from Future Natures
Cover image: Still from Penda’s Fen



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Cansu Sönmez talks to us about her research on people’s responses to large infrastructure projects, like dams and railways, that disrupt their lives and the spaces where they live.
Cansu shares the story of what happened in the old town of Hasankeyf in Turkey, which was recently flooded by a large dam built to provide hydroelectric power. She also describes the ongoing resistance in Italy against the TAV high speed railway, and how people link memories with places in ways that challenge the visions of developers and the state. We discuss the idea of ‘organised abandonment’ and what it means for people and places who are left behind.
Cansu Sönmez is a PhD candidate at the Gran Sasso Science Institute in L’Aquila, Italy. The interviewer is Nathan Oxley, Centre for Future Natures / IDS.


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Covas do Barroso in Portugal is in a region that’s famous for traditional ways of life and sustainable agriculture. It’s also right next to a site that’s targeted for Europe’s largest open-cast lithium mine. Local people have been campaigning against the mine now for several years, through a series of consultations, challenges and assessments. In this episode, Anoushka and Nathan speak to two people with insights into the struggle: Carla Gomes and Francisco Venes.
To find out more about the movement, visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UnidosemdefesadeCovasdoBarroso


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit futurenatures.substack.com

Anoushka talks to Almendra Cremaschi about seeds and the multiple forms of enclosure that have affected the seed sovereignty of farmers in Argentina and across the world.
We talk about Bioleft, an initiative based in Argentina that challenges the concentration of seed markets and makes space for knowledge, imagination, and art to grow an open-source system for seeds.
For more information about Bioleft, visit the website: https://bioleft.org
Read more: https://futurenatures.org/seeding-the-commons-in-argentina/


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Anoushka Zoob Carter talks to Sam Bliss, who is involved in activism and research on 'food that's not for sale'. As well as the topic of enclosure, Anoushka and Sam explore the paradoxes of food waste in the food commons. The conversation also takes a provocative dive into the role of private property rights in producing food as a commons.
Read more: https://futurenatures.org/food-thats-not-for-sale/


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Yafa el Masri was born as a Palestinian refugee in Beirut. In this episode, Anoushka talks to Yafa talks about the importance of commoning in refugee camps in Lebanon, drawing on her recent research there, and her own experience of refugee camp life as a young person.
Read more: https://futurenatures.org/commoning-in-refugee-camps-in-conversation-with-yafa-el-masri/


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit futurenatures.substack.com