Air London
Ed Gillespie won a night on board the Room with an idea for a website showing Londoners how to travel the world without leaving the capital. He was resident in A Room for London on 30 April 2012.
Interview with Ed, April 2012
What's your idea?
Air London will be an interactive, online crowd-sourced listings site that celebrates the city’s extraordinary global diversity. The site will create bespoke country-specific ideas and ‘holiday’ itineraries that allow Londoners to experience the joys of world travel adventures without ever leaving their hometown.
Imagine spending a day in Kingston, Jamaica. A deep immersive experience packed full of bustling Caribbean markets, eating spicy jerk chicken, taking in an art exhibition and ending the evening sipping cold Red Stripe and skanking your best moves to a live band in a reggae club. All without ever leaving London…
Visualise doing the same for Rio de Janeiro with samba, rodizio and Brahma beer. Or Mumbai with Bollywood, bhangra and curry. Or Lagos to an afrobeat soundtrack with Guinness and jollof rice. Escapist days of linguistic, cultural, culinary and musical adventure that transport you from your doorstep into a rich world of sights, sounds, smells and flavours from across the globe. That’s what ‘Air London’ will be all about!
When were the first seeds of the idea sown?
It was when I returned to London from travelling around the world without flying (www.lowcarbontravel.com) in 2007/8. I was struck by just how much of humanity is represented in the capital and how many wonderful experiences, connections and adventures are possible in the 600 or so square miles of the city. In a world of climate change and carbon constraints the idea of a global ‘staycation’ in London seemed both essential and potentially very attractive. I then ‘tested’ the notion with some friends who couldn’t afford a summer holiday abroad, so they opted for a week in London, focusing on a different country and culture everyday. They absolutely loved it!
Who have you invited to dinner in A Room for London to help develop the idea?
The diversity of activities and attractions I want to include on the site requires a cross-section of cultural commentators from food critics to tourism specialists to help weave the compelling content together. Plus I’ve invited folk with experience of developing innovative online platforms and business models. I’m hoping the collective energy in the room, while hopefully not over-enthusiastic enough to dislodge the Roi des Belges from its rooftop mooring, will be suitably vigorous and generate the endorsement, support and momentum to make ‘Air London’ fly (it’ll be the only way it does involved flying!).
What single thing would you like to happen that evening to help your idea get off the ground?
Wholehearted enthusiasm for the potentially complex idea itself from some or ideally all of the high-achieving ‘big-thinkers’ present would be bloody marvelous… I then want to sign them up as overt patrons, business partners or funders! (But one step at a time – I’ll be cock-a-hoop if they all disembark grinning and excited at the end of the evening as hopefully loud and loquacious advocates).
How would you describe your relationship to London?
As one that has completely flipped during my life. When I first moved to London in 1997 I was a marine biologist coming rather reluctantly to the Big Smoke in order to study for a Masters Course. I had up to that point always envisaged a life by the sea. But the capital has inveigled its way into my heart and under my skin to the extent that whilst the ocean still tugs at my soul, London is very much my home. I just have to be content with the Thames Estuary as a briny substitute!
How are you feeling about spending the night on board?
Like an over-stimulated schoolboy! I very much doubt there will be much in the way of sleep to be had in order to ruminate in slumber on the idea. I suspect the dynamism of the dinner and discourse will probably leave me in a state of delighted discombobulation. It is a rare privilege that I will make every effort to savour every second of. I intend to people watch from my nautical eyrie, count stars from the roof-deck and pretend I’m navigating the vessel through uncharted waters.
Image: Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Europe's first traditional Hindu temple, is in Neasden, North London. Photograph by Sharf Tonse. From Wikimedia Commons
It was people watching as a rather marvellous pre-Olympic sport as the ebb and flow of humanity along the concrete embankment echoed the murky movement of the Thames beyond. The current of pedestrians across Waterloo Bridge intensified as Big Ben struck five like a slowly turning diurnal tide.
Later the conditions completely shifted. A weather warning was delivered to the Roi, the wind picked up creating a monstrous spectral moaning and groaning around the ship, a sound alien to my London ears that are usually attuned to the low grumble of traffic punctuated by shrill sirens or brusque horns. Rain hammer-tapped on the windows and roof and my eyes feasted on the glut of glistening wet cityscape across the river as the low, heavy cloud fluoresced frequently with the sharp brilliant crack of flash-bulb-like lightning.
And if there’s a communications insight to this blog, as well there should be, it is this: Never underestimate the value of distance, a change of perspective and a little time to help you cogitate and ultimately create. We may not all be able to Captain the Roi des Belges for a night, but we can all find time, space and a fresh angle on knotty problems to help unleash our talents.
Ed Gillespie, May 2012
Read Ed's full blogpost about his stay here.
Ed’s dinner was attended by:
Paul Birch, Founder of ‘House Bites’
Steve Moore, The Big Society
Julia Groves, Online, digital entrepreneur
Gordon Innes, CEO Visit London
Patrick Clayton-Malone, Canteen
Felix Barrett, Punchdrunk