In 2009 Andrea Mason and I inaugurated the self-help group Capitalists Anonymous. This version, titled Bankspeak, was established as a forum to enable people to come and confess their capitalist tendencies. Set up for bankers in the wake of the economic crash, C.A. was seen as a therapeutic intervention that provided ‘a supportive environment in which to share… stories of greed, excess consumption, shopping addiction and explore what’s next?

Bankspeak took place outside The Royal Exchange in the City of London between 17 June 2009 - 19 June 2009. The Capitalists Anonymous meetings lasted from 1-2pm daily.

This work formed part of a curated event that happened in the City of London. The event called C.R.A.S.H – A Postcapitalist A-Z, was curated by The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination and was part of Two Degrees, a festival about the threat of climate change.

Photographs of Bankspeak copyright Immo Klink. All other photos by Hayley Newman. Capitalists Anonymous flyer by Steven Appleby.

Related works: Common, Crisis Cabaret and Histoire Economique