Resting Slet

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last couple of years. For various reasons we have decided to rest Slet until summer 2011. We aim to publish a Slet manual in the near future and will keep you all updated regarding future developments via this blog.



Murals by Dorothy Annan made for BT Building 1960, 70 Farringdon Rd - exercise point on City Slet 4 route.

Rook in the Rain

A very big thank you to everyone who braved the rain to join Slet for Alton!

The sletters wore t-shirts with bird silhouettes made during a print workshop the previous weekend at Wandsworth YIP on the Alton Estate. A new Slet exercise 'The Rook' was introduced to our routine after we discovered Roehampton means 'farm where rooks gather'.










Photographs by Sam Brown

Invitation to join Slet for Alton

You are invited to join Slet for Alton

2.40 - 3.30 pm
Saturday 8 May 2010

Green slope on Danebury Avenue and Portswood Place
Alton Estate
London SW15 4ED

Slet for Alton is a synchronised keep-fit event for all ages and is part
of Wandsworth Arts Festival's Shimmy Dance 2 - 4 pm 8 May 2010 on the
Alton Estate. Other activities include - b supreme girl hip hop groups -
Roehampton University Cheerleaders - Free Running from UpBEAT and
Parkour professional Chima - Craft workshops from Encounters

This Slet event celebrates the modernist architecture of the Alton Estate,
Roehampton, built 1958-9 and designed by London County Council Architects
Hubert Bennett, Leslie Martin & Robert H Mathew.

Nearest rail: Barnes Station (then bus 72 or 265 up Roehampton Lane)
Buses to Danebury Avenue 170 or 430

Free and for all levels of fitness
Booking not essential - bring friends and family!
Exercise wear and trainers advisable

For more information phone 07905 964825 or email info@oopps.org

Circus to Temple

City Slet 04, the fourth of a series of architecture and exercise trails in London's square mile.






















The fourth of our City Slets on 28th March started at Holborn Circus and ended at Middle Temple taking us about 1hr.

Starting from outside St Andrews on Holborn Circus head down New Fetter Lane to New Street Square – exit top of square and down Stonecutter St. turning left onto Farringdon Rd - pass Dorothy Annan’s murals running towards Holborn Viaduct - take stairs on left up onto viaduct cross over and down stairs on other side back down onto Farringdon road again – cross over take right up Charterhouse St. - running up side of Smithfields market – turn right into the Grand Avenue, the heart of the old market – pass through and out other side - turn right onto West Smithfield then down Smithfield St. and left up Snow Hill - cross Holborn Viaduct through to City Thameslink into Fleet Place - taking the lower left exit of square onto Old Bailey - turn right towards Ludgate Hill - cross road and down Black Friars Lane - opposite the Apothecaries Hall double back on yourself by turning right down a passage with Rupert Spira wall tiles – run down steps at end crossing New Bridge Street - run down Bride Lane to St Brides - turn left out onto St Brides Passage pass through the Lytens building turning right onto Salisbury Court, then left onto Fleet Street – turn left again into Hood Court a white tiled court yard - exit to the right onto Whitefriars St cross road run through another courtyard out onto Bouverie St - turn left running down towards the river take right up Tudor St and into Inner Temple through to Temple Churn and then to Middle Temple ending at the fountain.

City Slet 04

You are invited to join City Slet 04

11.30am-12.45pm
Sunday 28 March 2010

Meet outside St Andrews Church, Holborn Circus
Nearest tube: Farringdon

City Slet 04 is the fourth in a series of architecture and exercise trails
in London's square mile. Documentation from City Slet 01-03 can be found on previous blogs.

Please be advised this exercise trail is for adults of moderate fitness as
we will jog between architectural sites. The trail will end at Temple.

Free but booking essential
Please RSVP to info@oopps.org

Barbican to Cheapside

City Slet 03 was our third architecture and exercise trail in London's square mile.






The third of our City Slets on 21st February started at the Silk Street entrance of the Barbican, and ended in the grounds of St. Paul’s on Cheapside taking us 1hr 10 mins.

Start at Barbican, Silk Street - turn left onto to Beech St running through underpass - turn right jog through walled garden area of Golden Lane Estate and out onto Fann St - turn left onto Aldersgate St. running towards Barbican tube - turn right onto Smithfield Long Lane - turn left onto Cloth Street and right down Middle St. which turns into Cloth Fair - enter into St. Bartholomew-the-Great churchyard gate, exiting through main gate - turn left down to St. Bartholomew Hospital running through two archways to the fountain in the inner courtyard - out onto Little Britain - turn right onto King Edward St. jogging down to Christ Church & gardens - cross over Newgate St into Paternoster Square - take a right into Bishop’s Court - cross over Ave Maria Lane to Stationer's Hall Court - jog across Ludgate Hill and down small street called Ludgate Square towards St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe - run round side of the church and down its main steps - crossing Queen Victoria Street - run up the steps of Banbury House, BT - at top turn left to Seven Ages of Man sculpture - run down steps to your left back onto Queen Victoria Street - turn right running up road towards St. Benets Church, Paul’s Wharf - to reach it go under pedestrian underpass - run up steps - turn left at top running towards the river - run down steps on your left and onto the embankment run towards the Millennium Bridge - up steps on left towards St. Paul's - turn right onto Upper Thames with Salvation Army HQ on corner - cross road to St. Nicholas Church to the stone benches - turn right up Distaff Lane behind church and out onto Cannon St. - cross over jogging through gardens behind St. Pauls - end near 5 Cheapside.

To explore a new patch of the square mile join us for City Slet 04 on 28th March. Please sign up info@oopps.org

City Slet 03

You are invited to join City Slet 03

11.30am -12.45pm
Sunday 21 February 2009

Meet at Barbican Centre
Just inside Silk Street entrance
Nearest tube: Moorgate (Barbican is likely to be closed, check tfl.com
before travelling)

City Slet 03 is the third in a series of architecture and exercise trails
in London's square mile.

Please be advised this exercise trail is for adults of moderate fitness as
we will jog between architectural sites. The trail will end near St Pauls.

Free but booking essential
Please RSVP to info@oopps.org

Fulcrum to St Magnus

The second of a series of architecture and exercise trails in London's square mile.










The second City Slet on 13th December started at Broadgate and ended down by the river near St Magnus the Martyr and the site of the old London Bridge taking us 1hr.

Start Richard Serra's sculpture Fulcrum, Broadgate - brisk walk to Finsbury Circus - exercise in bandstand and on wall opposite Edwin Landseer Lutyens Britannic House – jog out onto London Wall pass the Hall of Carpenters Guild - turn down Great Winchester Street and under the NatWest Tower – jog out on to Bishopsgate cross over down Great St. Helen’s in front of St. Helen’s Courtyard – then round to the Gherkin and Holland House – turn left down St. Mary Axe to Lloyds building - double back to Fen Court to slavery memorial sculpture – jog down Mincing Lane to St Dunstan’s Garden – down St Mary At Hill past The Watermen & The Lighterman Hall – cross Lower Thames Street onto the Thames Path towards London Bridge past Old Billingsgate Fish market – then to small garden on right and St Magnus Martyr – run up steps to raised terrace over-looking the Thames.

To explore a new patch of the square mile join us for City Slet 03 in January. Please sign up info@oopps.org

City Slet 02

Telecom workers exercise, US, date unknown


You are invited to join City Slet 02

11.30am -12.30pm
Sunday 13 December 2009

Meet at Richard Serra's Fulcrum sculpture
Broadgate
Eldon Street
London EC2
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street

City Slet 02 is the second of a series of architecture and exercise trails
in London's square mile.

Please be advised this exercise trail is for adults of moderate fitness as
we will jog between architectural sites. The trail will end near Monument.
Free but booking essential as places are limited
Please RSVP to info@oopps.org

Scissor Slet

Collages made on a rainy day.
We used found material left by an anonymous foot fetishist who visited our Slet exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art, Norwich.





Photos: Jonnie Bassett

Fitnik Future

We had a dream – Fitnik – an interactive model village designed to be used as an outdoor gymnasium, a zone for communal and non-competitive exercise.


Designed specifically for physical interaction Fitnik would consist of scaled-down models of iconic architecture.


The exercise zone would have its own village green used for communal synchronised exercise with Slet instruction broadcast from integrated speakers or MP3 downloads...

City Slet 01

City Slets are jogging routes linking sites of architectural interest. On route we perform synchroinised exercises and learn more about buildings in the square mile.









The first of our City Slets on 8th November started at Postman's Park and ended in the Barbican taking us 1hr 10 mins.

Start Postman’s Park - jog up over to Museum of London - descend grim staircase down to old city wall - explore herb garden of the Barber-Surgeons' Hall - up modern staircase to walk way leading you through to old Midland Bank and Alphage Tower - descend stairs to the Salter’s Hall to gardens - back up the stairs passing the bottom of Alphage Tower - jog over walk down to the Charted Insurance Institute to the Brewers' Hall in Aldermanbury Square - pass under 5 Aldermanbury Square designed by Eric Parry Architects to ‘bears claws’ - turn left onto Wood Street opposite Richard Roger’s Daiwa Building - pass police station take first left down Love Lane once known for its brothels - to Guildhall trace outline of Roman amphitheatre - down side street onto the Girdler’s Hall, Basinghall Avenue - turn onto Coleman Street - cross road over to Moorfields Street - up escalators of Moorgate entrance to Barbican Centre - through disused office blocks - follow Speed Walk to Beech Gardens, Bryer Court

Over course of the next three months we will be doing three more City Slets in the square mile. Sign up for our next Slet info@oopps.org

Introduction to Slet

Welcome to our Slet architecture and exercise blog. Traditionally, a slet is a mass display of Czech Sokol exercises and also means ‘a flocking of birds.’ Our Slet project recreates Sokol routines for contemporary reuse and trains groups of particpants to perform synchronised exercises at sites of modern architecture.

Slet explores the visual and social possiblities of exercising together outdoors and is a continuation of Modernist ideals that link healthy living with the aesthetics of the built environment. Each Slet event is dedicated to an architect associated with a specific site. Documentation of Slet events is used as source material for future artworks, videos and installations for exhibition.

Sokol was founded in 1862 by Dr. Miroslav Trys as an egalitarian cultural movement for Czech people of all ages, sex, race and religion to exercise together. Czech immigrants spread Sokol around the world to become an international movement, which continues today.

Sign up for slet email alerts
Contact Felicity & Caroline
Email: info@oopps.org

Our slets to date:

Slet for Foster
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art, Norwich
June 2008


Slet for Lubetkin
Finsbury Health Centre, London
October 2008


Slet for Corbusier
Barbican Centre, London
March 2009


Slet for Marten
Tooting Bec Lido, London
August 2009


Slet for Hepworth
Walthamstow Town Hall, London
September 2009

Further images from past slets are archived at http://www.oopps.org/biblioblography.html