On Saturday I visited Housmans bookshop in King Cross, the radical bookshop has been the main conceptual precedent for my radical library. From what I have read and heard about, the bookshop acts as a ground for moments of social interaction, encouraging conversations to initiate whether it be between like-minded people or the opposite. It acts as a space for discussion by hosting events and talks, all of which feed into this apparent hunger for resistance that occurs within our society.
I wanted to see for myself how the space is designed and organised to encourage these kind of interactions, as well the radical content it houses. Another important factor was the categorising and indexing of books that must also influence the way individuals move around the bookshop and interact. The bookshop itself is quite small and intimate with a selection of selected/ popular books at the front of the shop and as you move down into the store the books are categorised by topic, ordered alphabetically by authors surname. The categories included: philosophy, political thought, digital culture and technology, education, health, migration, black politics and anti-racism, decolonisation, LGBTQ, gender studies and feminism, sexuality and relationships, radical history, workers struggle, economics, anarchism, environment, global history, and peace. Downstairs was a selection of children’s books, as well as books on music and art and there was a bit more open space so I assume that is where the events are held. The bookshelves where made from ply and spanned almost from floor to ceiling, books are laid out on every surface.
The content was very much progressive and I could see how it was considered radical especially if placed within the socio-political context of Budapest. I think the intimateness of the space plays a big part in the moments of interaction, if there’s more than three people in the store and you are trying to get past it is almost impossible to do so without saying “excuse me, sorry” which may not be a significant conversation it could easily manifest into one. Books categorised by topics is not unfamiliar, it enables people to find what they are looking for with ease, but in Housman’s bookshop it is apparent that this could encourage a conversation to breakout between two people interested in the same topic, one might recommend a book to the other and this follows into a conversation. It is also important to emphasise, the bookshop feels like a welcoming safe place, you do not need to be in fear of judgement from others or feel uncomfortable being yourself and speaking your mind. I am unsure how much of that is influenced by the design of the space but is worth exploring further!
