Yesterday was London’s first Flash Mob. I suspect that this will be a short lived concept. The idea is that you’re given some instructions about meeting somewhere around town. At the given venue, you meet a contact who hands you further instructions in the form of a small piece of paper.
With very precise timings, you go somewhere and follow the instructions.
So yesterday everyone was instructed to go to one of three pubs dependent upon their starsign. Then they were to head to a Tottenham Court Road sofa shop and converse with other people both there and on the phone, not using the letter “o”. They should leave fairly soon afterwards.
Well I went down and collected my piece of paper, although I failed to order a drink. Round at the sofa shop at 6.30, there were several hundred people all trying to get in, but the shop seemed closed. Eventually it was opened up and everyone went inside. Well quite a lot of people anyway.
I’m sure that London hasn’t seen quite as many digital cameras in one place – with no doubt dozens of blogs being updated last night and this morning. I must admit to standing at the back of the crowd and not really joining in properly. This was probably more a consequence of my timidity.
The media was out in force, with obvious press photographers and at least one camera crew.
The whole idea about these things is that they are somewhat communal, and politics isn’t part of it.
At the same time as all this, I’ve started reading Join Me by Danny Wallace which is another community idea. I’ll talk more about it when I’ve finished it (and shh…. I really am also reading The Way We Live Now as it says in the top right hand corner). It’s all very “communal”.