Programme
Transactionland Ipswich
21-24th May 2026
Call in at Transactionland, a thoroughly unusual high-street retail emporium. From Thurs 21 May ‘til Sun 24 May, Transactionland will be open for a bit of browsing and a spot of shoplifting at Ancient House, Buttermarket presented by SPILL.
Transactionland is a response to a collective fear of talking about the economy - both ‘The Economy’, and the many other economies small and large we interact with every day. It aims to be a brave space for exploring alternatives and having some tongue-in-cheek fun with Very Serious Stuff.
Hosted by artist-turned-shopkeeper Rachael Clerke, Transactionland rejects the idea that economics is not for the likes of you or me: why leave it to the men in suits to design the systems that rule our lives?
Transactionland invites you to shop 'til you drop alongside a packed programme of conversations, workshops, performances and more, with visiting artists working the tills.
Opening times / instructions for use
Welcome to Transactionland - we’re open for a bit of browsing and a spot of shoplifting from Thursday 21st May ‘til Sunday 24th May, for four days only, alongside a packed programme of events and workshops. All events are free! We’d love to see you.
Transactionland is a response to a collective fear of talking about the economy - both ‘The Economy’, and the many other economies small and large we interact with every day. It aims to be a brave space for exploring alternatives and having some irreverent fun with Very Serious Stuff.
Transactionland takes a firmly No Stupid Questions approach. This is a DIT (do it together) space. We are not experts.
Please remember that this is all an experiment. Ask questions, be patient, let us know what you think.
Opening Times
Thursday - Sunday
12.30pm - 5pm
+ Thursday evening board game night
+ Saturday morning Work Party for Cheats workshop
How to use this shop:
Come in for a browse, stay for a free tea or coffee from our one of a kind hot drinks checkout.
12.30-1.30pm on Friday & Sunday is doughnut hour! Join us to eat doughnuts and learn about the economy.
4pm every day: it’s Shoplift-o-clock! Attempt to sneak something from our shoplifting range into your pockets without being caught by our eagle-eyed shopkeepers.
Make your own cash, have a Big Economics Chat with a stranger (we’re all learning together), try your luck on the stock [cube] exchange, hang out, read, scratch a scratchcard. That kind of thing.
Shoplift o-clock
4-4.30pm every day is Shoplift-o-clock! Attempt to sneak something from our exclusive Transactionland ‘shoplifting range’ into your pockets without being caught by our eagle-eyed shopkeepers.
Free if you don’t get caught
Just turn up
Board Game Night
Can you control the markets? Are you going to win big? Will you make your millions before the time is up?!
For one night only, we’re transforming Ancient House into a board game lounge!
Join Dr Amy Edwards - board game enthusiast and financial historian - to play a selection of rare and unusual economy-themed board games.
Amy will introduce us to the fascinating history of financial board games, and there will then be a selection of games to play (we will be on hand to explain the rules!)
Refreshments available to keep you going throughout the evening!
Doughnut Hour (Friday)
12:30 - 13:30 on Friday and Sunday is doughnut hour at Transactionland! Join us to eat free doughnuts and learn about economics.
No need to book, just pop in.
Work Party for Cheats
Work Party for Cheats is a communal space for getting the stuff done that you just can’t get done.
In two hours we will endeavour to resolve as many unfinished tasks as we can, using all the skills and energy in the room to swap, steal and cheat our way out of our stuck-ness. Because doing other people’s work is easier than doing your own work, and collective satisfaction is better than individual smuggery.
To take part, please bring with you an unfinished or unresolved task, along with anything you think might be useful in resolving it. This could be something that you can’t do because you don’t have the skills or don’t have time, or something you are just avoiding because it’s boring or complicated. Feel free to bring something even if you think it’s impossible to be solved by collective cheating.
This is a collaborative workshop aimed at problem-solving and encouraging you to finish your tasks, in a relaxed and friendly space. In previous Work Parties, people have proofread, written budgets, written to pen pals, finished a painting, made a birthday card, given feedback on a novel, toilet-trained a puppy, researched impenetrable jargon, shortlisted applications, come up with fundraising ideas, fixed a website, learned about human skin cells, and much more.
Limited spaces - book your free ticket here
“I want to come back and do it again and again and again” - Participant feedback
Time Brokering Service
Time Brokering (™) is an elite service designed by the Paula Varjack Concept Store.
How are you spending your time? Would you like to save more? Or spend more intentionally? Or perhaps you want to create a savings pot for something you never seem to have enough time for?
Book a Time Consultation via Transactionland, in collaboration with the Paula Varjack Concept store. Time Vouchers issued with every consultation. Our trained time brokers will guide you in how to assess, prioritise and better invest your time.
Each consultation will last ten minutes.
The telephone will ring in Ancient House. Book your free ticket to answer
Doughnut Hour (Sunday) with Chris Land
12:30 - 13:30 on Friday and Sunday is doughnut hour at Transactionland! Join us to eat free doughnuts and learn about economics.
On Sunday we’ll be joined by Professor Chris Land from Angela Ruskin University to discuss the Future of Work
No need to book, just pop in.