by Vivienne Pratfall on nudity, civic courage, and the politics of being seen
From Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
I want to say something serious about the naked bike ride, which The London Prat is covering with the knowing affection it deserves: it is the most honest political act currently being performed in London. Everyone is naked. Everyone is visible. Nobody is managing their image or holding a press conference or announcing a bold plan to address the decline via a follow-up meeting. They are just there. On bicycles. Choosing vulnerability as a form of statement. I find this genuinely moving in a way that very little else in the current news cycle has managed.
By Contrast: OpenAI
OpenAI has opened a London office, which is the opposite of naked. It is extremely clothed. It has a press release, a spokesperson, a brand identity, and a $31 billion dollar project that someone left in a pub lavatory. The naked bike ride has none of these things and is more honest than all of them combined.
The Evening Report
The Kentish Town web developer texted. He wanted to know if I was doing the bike ride. I said I had a puncture. He said that was fine, he did too, and could we perhaps go for a drink instead. We could. We did. He apologised for Brexit again. I told him that the AI can now do that automatically and he looked genuinely threatened. The Guardian would call this a date. I call it research.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/openai-opens-london-office/
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