Fear Versus Love
Rachel Trezise interviews Justin Kerrigan
From Planet 243
by Rachel Trezise
Rachel Trezise surveys the boarded-up clubs of lockdown Cardiff with Human Traffic director Justin Kerrigan. They discuss why Human Traffic 2 will be a response to Brexit, and remembering the 1994 Criminal Justice Act whether the Tories’ actions are again inspiring a DIY communal spirit...
Cardiff City, March 2021. It feels like Spring but looks like Winter, the sky a pale, concrete grey. St Mary Street is empty, the entrances to its Victorian arcades locked, gin bars and tattoo parlours shuttered. It’s hard to believe it’s the eve of the Six Nations championship finale, a Grand Slam decider for Wales. Ordinarily that kind of event would flood the Westgate Street area with thousands of rugby fans. As it is, First Minister Mark Drakeford has reminded the public to stay at home to watch the match. Wales has only recently begun a ‘phased approach’ out of a lockdown that commenced in late December last year, a response to a rise in cases of a more infectious variant of coronavirus. The ‘stay-at-home’ rule has been replaced with a ‘stay local’ message. Non-essential retail remains closed. ‘Look at it!’ Justin Kerrigan says as he arrives at the spot where we agreed to meet; the site of the once legendary Emporium nightclub, now an empty building with planning consent for thirty apartments. He opens his arms to gesticulate at the lack of life on the street. ‘The world’s gone mad, mate. No humans. No traffic.’
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