You lucky, luck girl/boy. Yeah okay so girls/boys never text you back. And yeah I suppose you were mugged that time, but if you're reading this then you must have the internet and ergo a roof over your head - the outdoor computer thing never really took off. Homeless people - now they're some unlucky girls/boys. Just ask Jamie Fletcher. As research for Dirty Lucre, his current show at Battersea Arts Centre, he decided to divorce himself from consumerism and material-reliance by taking to the streets of Manchester, sleeping rough and living on a pound a day. He ate out of bins and slept in car parks. We talked to him about it and how shit it was.


Don't Panic: Just exactly how hungry did you get?

Jamie Fletcher: Hungry enough to raid skips most nights for food. It’s amazing what you can find. Supermarkets, fast food restaurants and cafes waste so much food everyday. Perfectly good food still in packaging.

DP: What was worse, hunger or cold?

JF: I have to say the cold. British weather is never the best. The first night I slept rough in a multi-storey car park. I maybe got a few hours sleep that night before waking up freezing cold and feeling very sick.

DP: Where you tempted at any point to try and pilfer some booze to numb the discomfort?

JF: No, although I did go to a free show that gave out free beer to the audience. That was nice.

 

DP: Is it actually physically possible for a human to survive in a city in the UK on a quid a day?

JF: I actually didn’t spend any money until the end of the week and it was only spent through utter boredom. Every day I found it really hard to part with any money. I thought I may need it for something more important.

As naïve as I may have been, I plunged straight into this research hoping to find answers as to why we crave money and material possessions. It wasn't until I met an ex-homeless guy called Danny that I decided to explore what it's like to be homeless in Manchester. He spent a lot of time with me that week telling me stories and showing me what he did and where he slept when he was homeless.

As the week progressed I found more questions than answers. I experienced such a small amount of what it must be like to truly have nothing and that was horrible enough.

There was no skill involved, just determination to get through it. After the first night of sleeping rough I had honestly had enough. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I had documenters with me during different periods of the day and night so I was never really alone for long periods of time but sleeping rough is something I would not like to experience again.

DP: What's the best thing you can hope to find in a bin these days?

JF: Bread, curry sauce, fruit, dougnuts, pain au chocolate, crisps and prawn crackers.

DP: What's the most valuable thing to have when you're sleeping rough?

JF: A tent and sleeping bag would have been nice... even just a sleeping bag. But I didn’t even have that. Unfortunately people are out there sleeping rough, facing the elements with little or no protection.



DP: How did homeless people treat you? Did you tell them what you were doing?

JF: I tried to keep myself to myself. I didn’t want to take a bed in a shelter where some one who truly is homeless could have slept. Nor did I want to take food from the organisations that give food and drink to homeless people, for fear that I would be taking someone’s place who needed it more.

DP: How do you feel about your lovely warm house now?

JF: I am certainly thankful to be in the situation that I am in.

DP: To what extent did you become pre-occupied with bodily functions? You must've carried a sneaky bog roll and toothbrush around, right?

JF: Haha. I didn’t actually carry things like that around. So by the end of the week I was definitely a little smelly. I did become clever with the times and places I went to the toilet.

DP: Once when I was in Manchester on a night out I saw a man doing a dump in the middle of a beautiful garden out the front of a Chinese restaurant. Did you do anything bizarre like that?

JF: No! I think that’s horrible. You probably saw a very drunk man doing something he really shouldn’t have. Maybe there were too many spices in his dinner?





DP: What's the worst thing about how the general public react to the homeless from your experience?

JF: We generally see homeless people as being different from us. We sometimes even look at them as if they are not human. But who are we to make judgement? Instead we should simply help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. This might mean giving some money or food, or volunteering with one of the fantastic charities and organisations that are trying to help. Maybe you could just have a chat with the person. Who knows - they might not have spoken to anyone in days or even weeks. 

DP: Have your spending habits changed at all?

JF: Yes they have changed a bit. I am less frivolous with my money and do think about where the money I am spending is going to and who it is helping.

DP: What's the best way to help homeless people?

JF: Like I said there are many ways to help. Just do what you can. Check out this website- http://england.shelter.org.uk/howtohelp - that’s a good start.

DP: Would you recommend what you did to other people? Maybe we should make school kids do it?

JF: I tasted such a small amount of what it must be like to have truly nothing and to end up homeless. It is something I wouldn’t wish on anybody.


Dirty Lucre is on from the 1st to the 2nd of April at the Battersea Arts Center. Click here to book.