Andrew Prescott involved in the Liberties of the Savoy project

Summoning the spirit of John Ball, Wat Tyler and the Peasants Revolt of 1381, Ruth Ewan recently invited 200 teenagers from east London to take over The Savoy’s Lancaster Ballroom for an ambitious event, Liberties of the Savoy, which addressed the social history of the site: the immunity from prosecution wealthy debtors were offered by the historic Precinct of the Savoy, and the freedom of opulence and indulgence offered to those who can afford to guest at the hotel. Through a process of workshops, interviews and essays, young people respond to the demands of liberty through questions of injustice, class division, riots and racial inequality, in voices that resonate with the ancient call for freedom, common ownership and equality.

Liberties of the Savoy by Ruth Ewan (2012) presents the plans, drawings, photographs, interviews and texts led by the students, and gathered throughout the project, alongside commissioned texts, and recipes by Martin Chiffers, executive pastry chef at The Savoy.

Professor Andrew Prescott from the Department of Digital Humanities has been involved in this project, answering questions by schoolchildren about the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 which are reproduced in the book.

Ruth Ewan, a Scottish artist based in London, is known for creating context specific art projects, which highlight the continued relevance of particular historic moments to the present. She works with collaborators to realise her projects, which are often grounded in focused research into the social and political history of the site in which they are based.

Liberties of the Savoy is edited by Caroline Woodley and co-published by Book Works and CREATE London as part of Co-Series.

The project was produced by Frieze Foundation as part of Frieze Projects East, with the additional support of The Savoy. It is the winner of the 2012 CREATE Art Award, the largest participatory art award in the UK and was a part of the fifth, annual CREATE summer programme alongside commissions from David Bailey, Jeremy Deller and Frieze Projects East. CREATE is a socially focused arts agency, rooted in east London and aims to open up exciting opportunities for artists to work with their neighbours in east London.